One Punch For All
by WallabeeJump
Summary: AU where Izuku isn't trained by the one with "One For All", but an old bald man who only needed "One Punch For All" the enemies he had ever encountered. "Know this, The Strongest Hero isn't necessarily The Strongest Man. The farther you get from the people you want to save, the harder it is to save their spirits."
1. Chapter 1: Determination OP, PLZ Nerf

Chapter 1: The Power of Determination Is Overpowered, Please Nerf

A hero is what any young child would dream of becoming. A shared dream. An everlasting dream. A dream everyone dreams about, but for many that dream is lost when they become an adult. Every second spent idle is a lost opportunity. Though everyone is born with great potential, every second that passes that potential is diminished, until the time of death.

In a world where almost everyone was super, young 12 year old Izuku was the wrong type of special for he was unbearably normal save for his characteristic seaweed hair and freckles.

As a quirk-less one, he couldn't breathe fire or move objects with his mind. Even so, he wanted to be a hero, an All Mighty hero, but reality isn't kind to those with such ambitions.

 _"Still in grade school I see. Violating the dress code."_

 _"Kacchan…."_

 _"Don't try to push it on someone who will become someone someday"_

 _"...Sorry..."_

 _"Trying to jerk me 'round?"_

 _"No Sir."_

With his uniform burned in a few places left behind by a certain narcissistic ticking bomb as he walked home with unsavory thoughts.

 _"I don't fit in…..I don't know how to live…..I'm a loser…how can I become a hero if I'm so weak….."_

As he was walking, he walked past a group of hooligans surrounding an old bald homeless man with an outgrown white beard.

"How dare you touch the boss's sweet chocolate pompadour. I wanted to be the one to eat"

 **SMACK!**

The horse faced man tried to correct himself in front of the one with the odd hair style and picked up the old bald man by the collar of his dirty yellow jumpsuit, but at this moment Izuku succumbed to his nature.

He couldn't overlook the old man's lifeless eyes that seemed to give up on everything and picked up his book bag.

 **thump…..**

Izuku's book bag did absolutely nothing.

"I really am a good for nothing aren't I."

The group of hooligans descended on the young boy without a hint of mercy and the young boy fought with everything he had. Stepping on toes, aiming for the eyes, but it wasn't enough. He was too human while his opponents were something more. The man with the uncharacteristically large right arm grabbed onto his from behind putting him in a lock.

 **SNAP!**

The young boy's arm was dislocated and tears were streaming from his eyes, yet he did not make a sound biting onto his lower lip trying to overcome the pain.

"People shouldn't be picking on retired heroes!"

"That old man was a hero?," in their confusion, Izuku collected his thoughts.

As the centaur man prepared his hind legs, Izuku prepared to duck.

"They don't realize how much shorter I am?"

 **THUD!**

The one holding him back was knocked out cold.

High on the pain, steadying his two feet and clenching his remaining fist, Izuku dawned the persona of victory of his daily tormentor.

"Still got my left arm. I CAN STILL GO!"

The fire in young boys eyes was not lost on the seemingly lifeless old man lying next to the wall.

"Like looking into an old mirror…...I was once a boy like that too….wasn't I?"

Thus a spark re-ignited the flame.

* * *

When Izuku regained consciousness he saw an unbelievable scene. A billowing white cape and the shining reflection of the sun above it blinding his vision. The image was burned into his memory.

Young Izuku had seen All Might's triumphant form in videos before, but never had he seen a hero up close before. As he turned his head he saw what became of those he was fighting against.

All of them unconscious, cradled in their individual craters.

A hand reached out and the scene was ruined.

 **SNAP!**

" **Gahhhhhhhhh** ," the pain of having his dislocated arm being put back in place put him back into reality.

The plain apologetic figure of an old bald and bearded man bowing to him wasn't very imposing or impressive.

"Sorry. I thought an aspiring hero like you was a little sturdier."

"Hero? I'm just some middle school student. I don't even have a quirk."

Reminiscing with his hand on his chin, old Saitama could only answer with a snide look,

"You really haven't seen some of the heroes I knew…..."

As the young injured Izuku was picked up and carried on the old man's surprisingly strong back he couldn't help but ask,

"Can I really become a hero?"

Izuku had no expectations, but the old man's response were words he didn't know he had always wanted to hear.

 **"** **You're already a hero aren't you?"**

The happiest moment of his life was a short lived one. Though he was elated, Izuku's pessimism overtook him.

Is he really a hero?

Despite his costume, Izuku could not recall a single hero that fit the old man's description and Izuku knew his heroes. He simply assumed the man to be retired one from his costume despite how plain and unimpressive.

"Can someone born without a quirk really become a hero?"

"Quirk? Back in my day, almost all of us had to work for our power. "Quirk" wasn't even in the dictionary yet."

"….How old are you?…..," but Izuku had enough self control to not question the old man.

"Then how did you beat those thugs?"

The tone of the air shifted, the old man's pace halted to a stop. Uncharacteristic enthusiasm boomed out of the old man's mouth.

 **"** **100 PUSH UPS!**

 **100 SIT UPS!**

 **100 SQUATS!**

 **10 KM RUNNING!**

 **EVERY SINGLE DAY!"**

It sounded so normal that it was absurd, yet it made sense. Izuku was skeptical, but the old man's words gave him hope and in times of desperation, people seek the light however small.

Who decides limits? What are they based on? Izuku had barely worked toward his dream. Reminiscing on today, with tears in his eyes and mucus in his nose the only thought on his mind was,

" I'm such an idiot! The me today was already stronger than the me yesterday."

 **"** **Instead of giving in, move forward. The power of humans is that they can change themselves."**

" Change myself? Of course!"

 **"** **At first, you'll wish you were dead, but to be a strong hero I never took a day off even as my arms started making strange noises."**

"Nothing is easy. Anything gained comes at a cost. Without giving up something in return….I really should write this down…..Great….I left my notebook back there…..."

 **"** **The most important thing is no AC in the summer and no heat in the winter to strengthen your mind."**

"That's a hard sell to mom…...wait…...isn't that just a money saving suggestion?"

* * *

Before he knew it, Izuku was home and his mother was in tears.

"Thank you for saving my son…."

"Kid's gonna be a great hero someday."

In the many years of no one believing in her son, not even herself, her next words were only natural.

"…...THANK YOU…...YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THOSE WORDS MEAN TO HIM."

Before he even realized it, Saitama had become his personal live-in fitness trainer for the price of shelter and 3 square meals a day.

" Is he just taking advantage of us?"

Those were thoughts he couldn't help but think, but he stomped down hard on those thoughts.

To become a strong hero, he would endure anything.

* * *

The first few months were torture and his body never really got used to it.

 **"** **4 more KM to go."**

Izuku remembered Kacchan's words.

 **"** **DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! That homeless man is just a fraud!."**

Despite that, he kept on training. Old Saitama-sensei despite his age was training along side him without showing the slightest sign of discomfort on his face so it was only natural Izuku had to keep going even as his joints were making creaking strange noises.

The lack of AC in summer or heat in winter turned out to be something more than just a topping to the hardship he was eating.

He felt sorry for his mom, but with a smile on her face, she endured that part of the training together with him. He couldn't imagine the torture that was turning on the stove in summer or opening the fridge in winter.

Faster, stronger, better.

Month by month, the time required to complete the entire workout decreased minute by minute.

 **"** **Just 3 more push ups."**

During some of their daily runs they would run into various scenarios.

"Is that a speed quirk?", that was the only way onlookers could rationalize the pair in green tracksuits.

The pair body a purse snatcher with a **"normal tackle".**

Chasing down that purse snatcher and tackling him was cathartic, but victory was short lived as Saitama-sensei's figure disappeared from view.

 **"** **Just 2 more sit ups."**

On the news, All Might's exploits were being investigated.

"Yesterday, near Orudera Junior High School, notorious kidnappers who were targeting middle schooners were apprehended. The suspects sustained critical injuries and cannot be questioned at this time, but judging from the type of damage, experts are certain it was All Might."

 **"** **Gah! If I didn't crash into that van yesterday, I could have gotten All Might's autograph!"**

" **Focus, just 1 more squat!"**

Eventually, what had taken hours, Izuku could complete under half of one. The quirk-less boy had undergone a metamorphosis.

* * *

After 2 years of training, Bakugo noticed something different about the quirk-less boy.

 **"** **DEKU! You have bald spots!"**

"Was that an apology?" Considering the nature of Bakugo's power, it wouldn't be surprising if Izuku lost some of his hair from their daily squabbles.

" **Moron. You shouldn't have listened to that fraud. Your health is failing!"**

Many would have taken it as an insult, but not our young quirk-less hero.

 **"** I feel fine."

" **Come on. LET'S GO! I'LL SHOW YOU THAT YOUR TRAINING WAS USELESS!"**

"I don't like how your talking about Saitama-sensei."

In the school yard, the 2 boys stood opposite each other readying their stances. Even though the time bomb never acknowledged anyone, he always took everything seriously, maybe too seriously. It was that serious nature of his that made him see even kindness as a slight.

 **"** **DEKU!"**

The time bomb was the one that went off first.

" Kacchan's signature right."

Not wanting to hurt the boy he perceived as his friend against common sense, Izuku side stepped.

"So slow…."

Was the only thought as Izuku followed up with pulling on Bakugo's sleeve in order to make him lose balance.

"Huh?!"

The result in reality was different than what Izuku had in mind. Instead of losing balance, Bakugo was sent hurtling in the air, spinning around like a propeller.

Despite this setback, Bakugo followed up using the spin to his advantage, preparing himself for his signature attack by building up his momentum with the explosions created from his nitroglycerin soaked palms.

"Kacchan is so cool…..," was Izuku's only thought.

With stars in his eyes he had totally forgotten that they were supposed to be fighting.

 **HOWITZER IMPACT!**

Bakugo's attack never connected as he found Izuku behind him pulling him by the collar. He was nearly choked to death by his own momentum.

 **Gah!**

Bakugo tried one last desperate swipe, before a palm was planted into his stomach.

 **gentle push**

Bakugo was made to see stars in a slightly different manner after careening through several wall of the school.

"Are you all right?! !"

When a teacher was coming in to check up on the scene, Izuku against his own morality ran away.

Bakugo would never acknowledge the fight and attribute it to some bad dream, while the school would attribute the incident to some serial vigilante. They never suspected the quirk-less Izuku was behind the incident.

* * *

On the edge of a certain beach littered in trash Izuku couldn't help but criticize himself for today's incident in front of his sensei who naturally wasn't listening a bit.

"Genos."

"…..I really am a coward…..why did I run away….."

"Too many words. 10 words or less."

Forcing back the tears, Izuku forced himself into composure.

"I pushed my friend through a wall by accident."

"Maybe you should take a break from training?"

"But…..I want to be the strongest hero….."

"There is such thing as too strong..."

"but….but…."

 **"** **Know this, The Strongest Hero isn't necessarily The Strongest Man. The farther you get from the people you want to save, the harder it is to save their spirits. I learned that the hard way."**

At times, Saitama would get serious with his speech and Izuku couldn't help but write it down, but once again, tragedy struck. Clutching his head, he exclaimed,

 **"** **Ahhhhhh,.. Forgot my notebook at school!"**

"Forget it. Let's see your progress. Throw your strongest punch into that ocean."

"My strongest?…...Understood!"

Izuku got into his stance, with his left hand covering his right fist just like he had seen some heroes do in the videos he watched in his childhood he threw what he thought was his strongest punch.

 **Serious Series…...Serious SMASH!**

His fist broke the sound barrier creating an audible crack. The shock-wave generated by his fist parted the waters of the ocean. The waters reached up to the sky as if to tie heaven and earth together, but the waters could not escape the pull of gravity. Somewhere out there, a weatherman was cursing an irresponsible quirk user.

Both student and master were flabbergasted with the artificial downpour soaking their clothes….though for different reasons.

"This…..This is…...my power….?" Izuku was overcome with gratification.

Not even the rain could hide his tears. It seemed even without a quirk, he was getting ever so closer to becoming a great hero like All Might or Saitama-sensei.

Saitama was on the ground, clutching on a tuft of hair.

"Your hair…..you're already getting bald…..." Saitama was overcome with regret. Bald spots were already appearing in several places.

Izuku wasn't even paying attention to his master's words anymore, simply putting his knees on the ground performing a series of serious dogeza.

 **"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"**

The weatherman would once again curse another quirk user for causing unaccounted for quakes.

Trying to calm his disciple down and trying to dodge the issue of his disciple's receding hair line he tried coming with generic words of wisdom. Trying to appear as sincere as possible, he reached for the ham within him.

 **"** **Hold your head high, Genos! Unlike others born with their power, you have won it through your hard work and determination."**

Overcome with joy, Izuku didn't even notice that his master said someone else's name.

 **"** **Yes Saitama-sensei!"**

Saitama could not bring himself to admit the truth.

 _"Your strongest is still kinda lacking, but I guess it will have to do."_


	2. Chapter 2: The Curse of the Strongest

Chapter 2: The Curse of the Strongest

Every night, Katsuki Bakugo was haunted by a certain memory, but he would always deny it as a dream.

Stronger, Faster, Better….in comparison to him.

All adjectives he would never ascribe to who he had perceived as a quirk-less good for nothing.

Even though he would never acknowledge that certain memory, he could not help but face the new reality that Izuku had become strong. In fact it was infuriating.

The good for nothing barely registered his presence anymore, which was a great departure from the memories in his childhood.

Despite the huge uproar in class about Izuku's desire to enter UA, there was no particular reaction to him. Just staring a little too intently in his notebook and mumbling to himself which had become his usual routine.

"I still have things to settle with you, Deku."

Bakugo had attempted to pry a certain notebook that Izuku had been scribbling in all day that obviously had nothing to do with the lessons they took that day, but to his surprise, Izuku's grip was stronger than usual. Quite the resistance for someone nicknamed "wooden puppet". Puppets were powerless things that couldn't do anything, but right now, Deku was defying the natural laws of the world.

In the next instant, Izuku was simply gone. The floor ruined with skid marks. The only thought on Izuku's mind as he bolted out the door was,

" Time for my 10KM run. Feels weird not to do the entire workout anymore, but Saitama-sensei knows best…...I think."

* * *

It was also in this odd reality that a certain comment deprived All Might of what he needed when he visited the Super Market during a special sale on vegetables during the same moment a certain Caped Baldy was thinking hard of some wise words for his disciple.

Cough cough.

 **"** **Hmmm. A hero shouldn't overlook his dental health. Cavities and bleeding gums can be a hero's greatest enemy while he's on duty."**

Scribble, Scribble.

Thus All Might did not buy bottled soft drinks, but opted for bottled water instead. Though perceived by many as a better option, everyone knows that the reverse is true when it comes to the bottles themselves.

A mere disposable water bottle simply couldn't contain sentient sludge the same way a soda bottle could.

Bakugo was trying desperately to rid himself of the sludge that was covering his clothes, but all his attempts were in vain. He was drowning. His power had served no purpose other than to further entice the sentient sludge who desired to get stronger by eating him. In what he thought would be his last moments,

 ***sequential semi-smashes***

and then it started to rain mud.

In the distance, he saw a quickly disappearing figure.

" Disappearing, appearing, disappearing, again, that good for nothing better not be messing with me."

* * *

Nearly a year later after a certain incident with a mud villain, it was time for UA High's entrance exam. The entrance exam for aspiring heroes in which Izuku took part in was not memorable, but the aftermath would be burned in there memory.

The written portion wasn't memorable, but at least some students could piece together some specifics. The practical portion just started and ended almost in a single moment.

 **Start**

The test takers bolted to the test area, but when they got there, there was nothing left of the test they could see.

All they could gather in their vision were broken miscellaneous parts of what were once thought to be training robots and all they could hear in the distance was someone screaming,

 **Serious Series Sequential Serious Smashes,**

before their ears were assaulted with a series of sonic booms.

 ***Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom***

The fidgeting force of nature made no distinction, simply smashing anything that so much as moved.

Big or small. Worth a lot, or very little. Not even the zero-point gimmicks were spared.

One could only imagine the tragedy if the other test takers were only slightly faster. It was a shame that Saitama had never taught him how to control his strength under pressure.

The day after the test was just like a bad hangover.

That is to say, everyone except the Caped Baldy's disciple had failed the practical, including the practical itself without even really knowing what happened.

It was supposed to test a young hero's judgment, agility, insight and fighting prowess, but for young Izuku, it may have only gauged at best 2 of those things.

Despite clearly lacking in judgment and insight as he smashed everything indiscriminately, the one in charge of the school budget convinced everyone else to pass him, because they only had so much money to spend on disposable robots. They had to save some for the rest of the students for the re-test the next day.

* * *

As young Izuku did not show up to the retest, everyone at UA high just assumed he dropped out, until they saw he at his seat. It wasn't until they witnessed his performance in Aizawa's apprehension test that they saw the difference between him and them. With the threat of expulsion of the worst performing student, Izuku could only take Aizawa's test seriously.

Trial 1: 50m Dash

"Just like my daily 10Km run."

 **Serious Series….Serious SPRINTING…..*Sonic Boom***

"Someone find that kid. What part of 50m did he not understand?"

Trial 2: Grip Strength Test

"Kid….equipment doesn't come cheap. We can't spend the entire school budget on just you."

"SORRY!"

Trial 3: Long Jump

 **Serious Series….Serious Spring-STEP**

"We need to find that kid…..again."

Trial 4: Sustained Side Ways Jumps

 **Serious Series….Serious Side-STEPS**

"…..This trial isn't about how well you can abuse the floor….."

Trial 5: The Pitch

 **Serious Series….Serious SHUUTO…...*BOOM***

"…...so….tongue twisters are your quirk's trigger?"

"…..umm…...sure…."

"… .DID HE FIGURE OUT I JUST DO IT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S COOL….."

With his constant use of tongue twisters for attack names, everyone could piece together the fact that the boy whose nickname meant "Good for Nothing" was the good for nothing who made everyone re-take the test. So naturally, his High School life at UA wasn't shaping up to be much different than his time at Middle School.

In a sense, weak or strong, nothing had changed for the quirky quirk-less boy, but it would get worse in the 2 Vs 2 Indoor Battle Trial.

* * *

Though the hero costume his mother prepared for him wasn't too impressive and made him look like some weird rabbit-thing, he dawned it proudly anyway to respond to the feelings sewn into the cloth. He had finally become strong enough so his mother no longer needed to worry. He was confident and he was smiling, but unfortunately, the day would not end in smiles.

" Saitama-sensei must have been the same way once."

That was the thought that reassured him about his plain looking costume even as he was surrounded by spiteful stares all round. Too all the other students, he was an anomaly. His strength was the inverse of his image. If things were different, others may have found him endearing, but under the current circumstances, no one could forgive him.

 **Indoor Battle: Izuku(?) and Uraraka(Zero Gravity) Vs Iida (Engine) and Bakugou (Explosion)**

The trial was simple to understand for anyone that had played a variation of Counter Strike. Izuku with the role of hero simply had to defuse the bomb before a time limit, while his enemies in the role of villains tried to stop him.

With the power he had, the victory condition was simple. The bomb was on the top floor, he was on the bottom.

 **Serious Series….Serious SMASH!**

Smash through the ceilings and aim for the top.

Not a terribly bad idea, since debris could fuel his partner's power. Her "Zero Gravity" could also be used to bring them to the top floor, but it dawned on him he could do things faster if he simply just jumped up, so he did leaving her behind.

Iida had an inkling of the things Izuku could do, but it was pointless.

Urakara's power had limitations. There were certain conditions that made it weak or strong, but Iida couldn't think of a weakness to Izuku's **pure power**.

The best and most versatile abilities are the simplest with no obvious weaknesses. That was partly why All Might was considered the greatest hero by so many.

It was for this reason Iida couldn't think of a way to win. His specialty was speed, but he was outclassed in simply everything, so all he could do was rely on instinct.

After regaining composure after the all too familiar noise, Izuku was already next to the bomb, yet the match wasn't over.

Izuku was simply standing next to it. Victory was literally in his grasp, but it was too easy, it didn't feel right.

 _" It feels …...like I'm cheating."_

He couldn't accept such an easy victory and he was sure no one would be happy losing in such a way. His enemies were simply at his mercy. They were helpless and Iida was despairing. He was someone who always had faith in rules, but this time, rules had betrayed him.

He was forced to accept the **Rules of Nature.**

 **The weak fall prey to the strong.**

Despite his despair he made a desperate attack at Izuku trying to **deny** this one law with **all his might**.

 **Recipro Burst!**

It was unfortunate, but Izuku's base was already faster than his fastest, so Iida only hit air and was repaid in kind with a quick jab in the back.

 ***Snap***

It wasn't a serious attack, but it seemed to have serious consequences at the time. Iida was supposed to play a villain in this exercise, but the audience could only see him as a victim.

" Did I break his back?"

Izuku was breathing heavily, unsure what next to do, It was then he heard two voices, male and female in unison.

 **"** **DEKU! YOU HAVE IT, JUST TAKE IT ALREADY YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING!"** x 2

Though on opposing sides, they shared the same view for in their eyes, the boy who kept using the word **"serious"** wasn't serious at all.

 **"** **TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY."**

Bakugo attacked him without any regard of their difference in power. Pulling the pin on his grenade themed gauntlet, he attempted to cover his enemy in a fire blast.

 ***BOOM!***

Izuku wasn't paying attention for a second and half his costume was burned away, yet no marks were left on his body. What was he feeling? The quirk-less boy didn't know, but he charged at the boy who would blow at any minute.

Bakugo tried his best to get away by propelling himself with his explosions, but he wasn't fast enough. Izuku was already behind him, slamming him to the ground and put him in an arm lock. While this was happening Urakara was about to reach for the objective, but she was repulsed back by Bakugo's remaining gauntlet in which he pulled the pin with his teeth.

 **"** **ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME?!"**

 **"** **Kaa-chan….just give up…...I don't want to break your arm!"**

"Cheh, even if you break it, I still got another and 2 legs left…. **Gahhhh** "

Bakugo's arm was dislocated with absolutely no resistance.

 **"** **I'm serious."**

"No….you're still screwin' me 'round."

Bakugo lived to win and would never accept defeat. Only death could stop his pursuit of victory. He was a man who simply did what he wanted, a trait Izuku had admired. A trait Saitama-sensei had also possessed and a trait Izuku too wish he had. If only he had been more decisive, he wouldn't have had to hurt others like this. He left the disabled Bakugo on the floor and put his hands up in a sign of surrender. From the answer he arrived at words naturally started forming.

"I Giv….," but before he could say those words, Bakugo ignoring the pain in his shoulder tried to stop him by coming from behind and putting his remaining hand on Izuku's mouth. His pride wont allow himself to take such a worthless win.

" **DON'T SAY IT!"**

With a puff of breath that blew the hand away, Izuku no longer had doubts.

 **"** **I give up."**

With those words, the winners and losers were decided.

Villain Team….Wins.

The victors of the exercise were injured and would have been beyond saving if not for Recovery Girl who was part of the school staff.

The losers on the other hand were barely scratched save for some superficial burns on their costumes.

All Might was tempted to call off the match early, but he was conflicted.

Their bodies or their spirits, only 1 thing could be saved so with that hope he watched on, only to realize that both those things were damaged.

It didn't matter who won that day, the only thing that mattered was everyone lost something.

The only thing Izuku gained was the scorn of his peers and the meaning behind Saitama-sensei's words back then.

" Know this, The Strongest Hero isn't necessarily The Strongest Man. The farther you get from the people you want to save, the harder it is to save their spirits. I learned that the hard way."

Izuku had gained strength in order to become a hero, but it seemed at that moment he was **farther away** from that goal than before he had started training and he despaired. It was at that moment All Might appeared and instead of relief, in an inverse of reality, Midoriya Izuku felt fear.

 **"** **Come with me young Midoriya my boy. It's time for your critique."**


	3. Chapter 3: You Win Some You Lose Some

Chapter 3: You Win Some You Lose Some

There wasn't much to be said about the match as the word "match" implies some semblance of equality, like in a game of go-fish. Very little about the students could be gleamed off of it with the exception of Izuku's overwhelming strength. There was also very little the students could gleam of it too and for this reason, even the most motivated and studious of them stayed silent. Despite this, All Might tried his best to give advice through his conjecture.

"Iida was the best of this match. He was the only one who had some semblance of a plan, even though that plan broke done when Midoriya appeared."

It was unfortunate that Iida could not hear such praise from the infirmary at this moment.

"Midoriya, you were reckless. The only information you had to go on was that the bomb was on the top floor, you were lucky you didn't hit it. Anyone can imagine what would have happened if a real bomb was used. Even when it was in front of you, you hesitated. I can understand you were trying to be considerate, but a hero must be decisive."

His next words were directed at Bakugo and Urakara.

"You two remaining always had your eye on the goal, but that isn't always a good thing. Even though young Iida was injured, neither of you helped him. A hero should strive to save everyone, including the villain. Bakugo gets a pass considering the role he was supposed to play."

Being partnered with someone like Izuku, Uraraka was almost a non-factor during the match. All Might couldn't think of anything specific for her at the moment. As he was lost in thought he had almost forgotten what the rest of the staff had wanted to ask about Izuku. No need to beat around the bush, the number one hero should set an example of decisiveness.

"Young Midoriya, you put down "No Quirk" on your application, have you considered changing it?"

Bakugo tensed up when he heard that. Izuku on the other hand had realized that the issue completely passed over his head. Over the past few years, training and helping the occasional passerby were the only things on his mind. It was a wonder how he kept up his studies and got into UA.

"umm…..I was tested to be quirk-less when I was 4….it may have been some hidden variation or mutation that appeared..."

Those were the words that left his mouth, but they were words he couldn't agree with. Those days when his feet were lead, those weeks where he couldn't feel his arms and those months where he had to endure the summer heat without air conditioning. Thus, it was only natural for him to correct himself.

 **"** no…. **I won this power by training with my life on the line and fighting against my own death EVERYDAY!"**

Those words of the boy in front of him were nostalgic. They were equally comforting and painful as he was reminded of his predecessor.

" Take pride, Toshinori! You're not like the others who're born with what they have. You worked hard to **win** your power! "

All Might had totally forgotten the purpose of his question and to quell the pressure inside of him, he put on a smile and gave out a hearty laugh.

 **"** **Such dumb zeal…... That's exactly what I like to hear!** **"**

While most of the students scoffed at the scene as hot-blooded nonsense, it had completely won over Kirishima. Though the red head's signature ability was "hardening", his heart was surprisingly soft and he couldn't help but be moved to tears. He couldn't help but be disgusted with his own first impression of the bald spotted boy.

"… ..so my manliness was only on this level…"

The quirk-less boy had become truly strong. It wasn't something Bakugo could deny. There was no cheat behind his cheat like power.

"Cheh."

When All Might was finished with his critique, Urakara was compelled to confront the one who made her feel so irrelevant.

"I can't forgive you for throwing the match, but I can't accept a victory I didn't earn either, so…. "

"I'm sorry."

She was honestly off put on some level by how easily the strongest boy bowed and apologized.

"No…..I…...I…..We should apologize to Iida-kun," was her way of changing to topic.

* * *

"I'm sorry for hurting you."

Though in the infirmary, Iida was surprisingly lively with his hand flailing about.

"No, no, no, that isn't a reason for me to be angry."

Izuku's eyes lit up.

"Really."

If Iida said he wasn't unhappy it would be lying and he prided himself in being earnest and honest. He was someone who took things seriously and it irritated him if others did not.

"I am angry that you threw the match though, even if you were trying to be merciful."

Izuku didn't have the heart to tell Iida that the class had selfishly decided to make him class president without his consent while his injuries were still being treated. He couldn't tell him that the decision was based entirely on his earnest bespectacled image. In hindsight, delivering that piece of news would have been the best present if the intent of the visit was cheering Iida up instead of what he actually gifted him with.

"Banana?"

Ever since Izuku's training had began, waking up early in the morning, thanks to Saitama-sensei's insistence that they alone were fine for breakfast, banana's had become a staple of his diet before he even knew it. If not for his small stature, the class may have thought his quirk had something to do with gorillas.

* * *

Some may joke about Tomura's appearance. If he was a hero, people would be compelled to call "Captain Facepalm". Whether the countless dismembered hands that covered his body were supposed to be some sort of costume was up to debate.

Just like his appearance, Tomura's goal was equal parts ridiculous and terrifying, that goal being to kill the Symbol of Peace, All Might. For this reason, the League of Villains was created. Taking the hassle to secure UA's teaching curriculum, they had thought they had tracked down All Might who supposedly worked as a teacher there. They planned to take out All Might during the field trip to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint Facility. To their disappointment, All Might wasn't there, but nonetheless they pressed the attack.

With Kurogiri's "warp gate", the armies of societal rejects were able to get past security. With Kurogiri's "warp gate", they were able to scatter the students. It could be said that among the intruders, the suave black fog named Kurogiri was the only competent one among them, but having just one competent member wasn't enough.

Though they were split up, the students gathered their wits and fought back. Though they were young, as hero candidates, they were the elite which were able to overcome UA High's rigorous standards.

The mooks which they fought were a rag tag bunch who collectively could not compete with Class 1-A, even when split apart.

The plan was simple and it was in that simplicity that it fell apart. It did not take into account the threat of the young fledgling heroes, nor the quirks they possessed.

Instead of breaking down the fledgling heroes, the mooks merely rebuilt their confidence after it was ground into the dirt by witnessing Izuku's feats of strength in the previous exercise. This was especially true for Bakugo and Kirishima who could in some way sate their desire to be the alpha by showing off their masculinity.

Though Izuku was faster, Izuku was still the strongest and in times of desperation, it is vital to have the strongest on the scene to relieve everyone's fears. That was what Thirteen's reasoning for sending Iida for help before being done in by Kurogiri. Though Kurogiri's " **warp gate** " had an advantage over Thirteen's " **Black Hole** ", Kurogiri's position as the most competent intruder could not be understated.

It was for this reason, Urakara was finally able to be useful when she was able to throw Kurogiri away into the sky with her **"zero gravity"** , buying enough time for Iida to reach the exit and call for help. Despite Kurogiri's obvious competence, he couldn't stop Iida from reaching the exit and calling for help, though in hindsight, it was a wasted effort, since calling for help did not change the outcome in the slightest.

It was only inevitable for the class to regroup to where their home room teacher was last seen, and when they did, they were treated to a disturbing scene.

* * *

The homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, Aizawa was bloodied on the floor being held down by something that could only be called a monster. Though Aizawa had no trouble with the other villains, the thing pinning him down was on a different level. Clad in all black except for the large exposed brain, it was referred to as an "artificial human" by the invading party, even if it couldn't really be called one by appearance, but considering the quirks that exist in this world, "human" became somewhat of a meaningless term, principal Nedzu is a testament to that. It remains a debate among students what animal he's supposed to be.

Among the students, a certain boy stepped forward and ran to the place of carnage. It didn't matter if that boy caused them a lot of trouble. It doesn't matter if that boy was a huge wall to overcome. That boy was the strongest among them. Right now, that boy was their best hope. Anyone else would have been a liability.

 **"** **You can do it Deku!"** Those were the words Urakara had resolved to say.

Words that she gravitated to when she hears his nickname inside her head.

 **"** **Deck'em."**

Those were the words Bakugo forced out. He had been forced to accept the difference between him and the former good for nothing. When he tried to intervene earlier today, he had only been a liability to No.13, so he'll wait it out.

 **"** **Why are you so cool?"** Were the words on Mineta's mind. Short in stature, he couldn't help feel inferior; especially the way Izuku handled the situation when they were stranded on that boat just moments ago.

Despite the inevitable positive thoughts in the heat of the moment, in the back of every student's mind was the same ugly thought,

 **"** **If you were smarter, you should have just waited for All Might you show off."**

In the crowd the son of the number two hero, half hot and half cold was sizing up the number one hero in training.

" So this is the strongest."

In order to surpass his father and All Might, Todoroki would inevitably have to face the boy in the spotlight.

The artificial meat puppet, Nomu was equipped with "shock absorption", "regeneration" and physical characteristics on par with All Might the number one hero, with sole purpose of killing the latter. The entirety of Tomura's plan hinged entirely on this one being, but that didn't matter, nor did the boy in front of them care.

The boy didn't care about what his classmates would think of him stealing the spotlight. In his mind, he had no external enemies. The only thought on his mind was doing what a hero would do. Strong or weak, the enemy of all heroes should be nothing more than the weakness within. He simply had to overcome that. That was what Saitama-sensei had taught him over the years.

" One of the greatest heroes I knew was just a guy with a bike who saved cats from trees."

" That doesn't seem like much."

" Don't knock it. Sometimes, it's the little things that matter. Even a little thing you do can save someone's world. You saved me after all. Never forget, you're already a hero."

He is a hero. It doesn't matter if he doesn't receive recognition. It doesn't matter if he only receives scorn. Being a hero has nothing to do with fortune or fame. A hero doesn't need people calling out their name. Re-acknowledging that one truth and putting a smile on in order to deceive himself, Izuku resolved himself to fight.

The obstacle in front of him was an unknown. Testing the waters he delivers a not so special attack.

 **Smash!**

Unlike his classmates, the obstacle wouldn't go down so simply and a compulsion overcame him. The meaning behind his smile had shifted.

Izuku was compelled to put his left hand over his face, but not in the same way Tomura was. It wasn't a sign of resignation. It was a pose. He was leaning slightly forward, his fingers outstretched and his right arm to his side.

"He can keep going…..If one smash isn't enough, then….",

The prospect of such a punching bag got him a little excited. He would be merciful to prolong that moment.

 **Senju Smash!**

A thousand clenched fists materialized in an instant.

 **DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! DEKU! DEKU!**

The flurry of merciful strikes, overpowered the rate at which his enemy could recover and was utterly blown away through the ceiling and into the sky before Izuku even finished his combo. It was a demonstration of that cheat like power that simply smashes through anything and everything.

" That's it?"

In the aftermath, was a lone figure, soaked in blood, but it was not his own. The figure's small stature belied its true strength. The excitement on his face was completely gone, replaced with the unsettling look of disappointment.

The trump card prepared for All Might was simply blown away by some glitch in the system. In front of them, they couldn't see a hero; all they saw was a kid in a gym uniform who was disappointed after breaking his toy. The villains who followed Tomura foolishly broke into the school to destroy the **Symbol of Peace** , but they found their **Symbol of Fear** , the personification of the world's unfairness. It was no hero in front of them, but a monster. It didn't matter if his costume was being repaired, costume or no costume, facing Izuku was scary, Iida could attest to that. The monster in front of them defeated their monster after all.

The thoughts in Tomura's mind were different from the other villains. He could only look on unsure what he should have felt at that moment. The scene before him validated the fact that the world was a fragile thing. That unfounded optimism, that false security and arrogant self-righteousness of All Might, he'll reduce it to dust. Whatever the thing which was in front of him was, hearing that declaration of **Smash** , it must have been some follower of All Might and that was the only reason he needed to turn it into nothing.

 **「** **It's not my fault!** **」**

While coming to terms with what had happened, a dismembered hand was placed on top of Izuku's head. Tomura's quirk **"Disintegration"** turns whatever he touches with five fingers into dust. In other words, he could make even infinity become zero, or that would have been the case if not for Aizawa.

Aizawa, also known as Eraser Head, could cancel out any quirk with but a stare. Zero multiplied by zero was zero, but it was a zero in Izuku's favor.

After regaining his senses, Izuku's eyes were trained on Tomura. After going through Satiama's training, as long as Izuku didn't lose focus, he wouldn't lose to anyone.

Before he could splatter Tomura over the ground, someone gripped his shoulder from behind. When he turned around, he saw a familiar old caped baldy who entered the building through the hole Izuku had recently created in the ceiling.

"What are you doing Saitama-sensei?!"

"You're going a little too far a school exercise. Didn't you learn anything last time?"

"Exercise? This isn't….."

"Yes, this was all an elaborate drill," that was the explanation that escaped the bloodied Aizawa's lips as he tried his best standing up. As he was usually ragged looking, he could easily hide the extent of his injuries.

"So you lied again…this was all a drill?!," was what almost all of the students exclaimed.

Once again, the students felt like they were cheated out of their feelings. As Izuku knew this Saitama-sensei, they falsely believed he was in on the drill. Whatever positive feelings that Izuku's classmates were accumulating for him during this field trip were knocked down a few pegs.

" That guy taking the spotlight again. Not just strength, but connections too?"

Once again it was a lie to bring about the best within the students, yet it brought out the worst, even though in both cases, it was the truth.

Even though no one was expelled for poor performance during Aizawa's Apprehension test, the threat of expulsion was real. In the same way, the threat of villains was real, but the rest of the school staff played along to make reality into fiction.

In order to minimize any public outcry about the safety measures at UA, as well as make the infiltrators efforts all for not, it was the sensible choice, even if Izuku's popularity took another beating.

 **「** **…** **」**

Without their trump card, the intruders had no choice but to retreat and accept their losses.

"You still didn't answer my question Saitama-sensei?"

Before he could react, the green answer covered his face.

"Your mother worked really hard on making a new costume after you ruined yours the last time you had a live exercise. Take better care of it next time."

"Yes Sir."

The clean green costume both cleared his heavy thoughts and his unsightly appearance after the recent encounter.

* * *

In the principal's office were two conversing figures, one non-human and one who wasn't mere human.

In order to keeps the lie of the attack being a drill alive, UA offered Saitama a job. Despite the strange feeling that he knew him from somewhere, All Might raised the logical question about this Saitama-sensei.

"Do you really think it's a good idea letting a complete stranger in as a teacher?"

"That's precisely why we're keeping him close," was the principal's answer.


	4. Chapter 4: The Sub

Chapter 4: The Sub

"Hi, I'm Saitama, substitute teacher….The sports festival is coming up… I guess that's all I have to say."

Suddenly given a job, Saitama had nothing prepared. In the eyes of students, in a sense, he wasn't all too different from the teacher he's filling in for. Both were not well known and lethargic, though for Aizawa's case, at least his hero name "Eraser Head" was something a few could recognize. Saitama was a complete unknown.

"Never heard of you," was Bakugo's reply. For years, he passed this "Saitama-sensei" as a fraud, but now this fraud turned out to be a UA teacher.

"I retired, but I guess I'm still a hero as a hobby."

The word "hobby" and "hero" were the cause of much irritation in Iida that he couldn't avoid interjecting. It was something a lot of the class had thought of.

"A hobby?! A hero can't have such a vague motivation like that," were Iida's words, but the same words were already buzzing around the minds of many. It was an affront to youthful idealism.

" **That motivation junk has nothing to do with anything** ," were the words of someone who was supposed to be molding the minds of the future.

"To say that without hesitation, so manly," was what Kirishima thought. Every day at school was inspiring.

"Well….I didn't want to mention this, but if motivations don't matter, **I'M IN IT FOR THE MONEY** ," that was what Urakara was compelled to say. It was an impure goal in her mind, but if Saitama-sensei was right, what did it matter? In the end, Saitama's answer unsettled her.

"Skipping on AC is good training, but remember, you should never skip meals, even if it's just a banana in the morning if you wanna do well in the sports festival," were words lost on others but the supposed money grubber. Some thought she was out of character, Mineta thought it was PMS, but the truth did no escape the substitute who knew at a glance they were kindred spirits.

" He knows my family situation? Do I look poor?"

Despite his appearance, the substitute was deceptively perceptive.

"Not just money, I wanna be **NUMBER ONE** , short and simple," was Bakugo's declaration.

"See, the constipated guy gets it too."

"…Keh,…..What was that BALD…!."

 **Thwack**

Before Bakugo could utter another word, he was knocked out of his chair and out cold. Save for one, no one realized what had happened until they noticed the pieces of chalk the substitute teacher was juggling around in one hand.

"SETTLE down?...oops."

 **SLAP SLAP**

"Kaa-chan, are you alright?"

Izuku's attempt at re-priming the bomb was of no avail, from the audible cracks it was clear that he was defusing instead.

"Midoriya…..Your making it worse," was Mineta's contribution to Bakugo's condition.

* * *

The next two weeks of Saitama-sensei's presence as substitute teacher created a stir, especially for a certain individual who had heard of him over the years.

"You sir are my hero," was what Saitama had said to Lunch Rush.

In front of him was the spiciest thing on the menu. For a man who was too strong, he was always seeking a challenge. Lobster fried in chili and wasabi oil. Something so spicy and luxurious, that only one was prepared. When he was about to dig in, it was swiped by a speeding missile.

When Bakugo turned to look at what he swiped, he found his hands empty. In front of him was the man that made Deku strong holding the lunch tray as if it never left his hands.

"Sorry kid, but if you wanted something spicy, you should have ordered in advance."

"If you're really worried about me, why haven't you started eating yet?"

"Food is something to be savored; even youngsters these days should know that."

"Cheh…"

A smile crept onto Bakugo's face and he began his assault, wanting to try that custom dish wasn't his only reason.

Propelled by the explosive force originating from his palms, the heat seeking missile charged towards the tray of spicy lobster, but he didn't find his mark.

"This is an eating **ESTABLISHMENT** ," was Iida's attempt at defusing the situation, but after an uncontrolled explosion by Bakugo's hand, it seemed he would be visiting the infirmary again.

To onlookers, the old man quirk was either "teleportation" or "duplication", but Bakugo knew the truth.

"Pure speed," the thought only motivated him further.

Seconds became minutes, but Bakugo did not stop to eat. He continued forward toward his spicy goal.

 **"** **Gah,"** was what Bakugo he uttered after being kneed in the stomach, but it was just the beginning.

Bakugo could not dodge such attacks; he could only endure them, one after another, minute after minute.

He was getting weaker and slower, his signature explosions devolving into glorified fumes, but he did not stop even after he was kneed the twentieth time. His breath was ragged, dehydration was taking its toll, his speed had become nothing and his attacks had lost all semblance of technique, but that did not make a difference. Whether Bakugo was at his peak or in the situation he was in now, the difference between him and the old man did not shrink. He had no chance of winning, but as an aspiring hero he sought out victory regardless.

Why had he antagonized this old man? Bakugo could not recall, but with his mind set on something, he did not want to lose.

"This should be his limit," that was the thought Saitama had minutes ago, but he did not stop. Those minutes simply became tens of minutes and lunch time was winding down.

The constipated looking boy in front of him would not stop and through that determination, his thoughts drifted to his recent disciple.

* * *

The freckled boy continued to do push-ups, day after day, month after month, but not once did he complain and not once did he stop. His breathing was heavy and he looked absolutely miserable, but he kept up with proper form. The boy was weak, that couldn't be denied, but not once did Saitama think he was pathetic. He would give anyone who thought so a good decking. Though he was weak, the boy already possessed unlimited strength.

He had reached his limit months ago, but he continued on. Even though Saitama had undergone the same training ages ago, the boy was a good decade younger than he was when he started training.

" Could I have done the same at that age? Wait, if I had done it earlier…..could I have kept my hair?"

Putting such strain on his limits for months on end, it was only inevitable for them to break. The boy possessed unlimited strength and reality was forced to acknowledge that truth. He had gone further beyond.

 **"** **PLUS ULTRA."**

Even the strongest guys started out as brats.

* * *

"Kids these days…..,."

Bakugo's prize was shoved right next to his face, but he shoved it right back.

"I'm not…weak…..stronger than anyone.…I'll…. become NUMBER ONE."

"Strong heroes? Weak heroes? The weakest of heroes are the best at saving people's spirits **."**

After all, it was through his current disciple's weakness that he was saved and was working at this school right now.

"Pff. Spirits? What ….do they have …to do with anything?"

The boy did not understand a thing and it wasn't because he was barely conscious. His ideal of strength had little to do with saving others. A hero wins, that's what heroes do, that's all they have to do.

"Everything."

It was complete nonsense to Bakugo's ears, but those words had weight, yet he continued to deny them. He attributed that weight to the old man's overwhelming power. After all, might makes right.

"That's stupid...," was what Bakugo forced out with his remaining breath.

Even after the ordeal, the boy who should have passed out long ago was still standing. All Might saw the entire exchange and thought back to what he had discussed with his old teacher, Gran Torino.

* * *

" Yeah, I know of him. That man was already ancient when I was still in diapers and not the type I'm wearing now. If it's him, you have nothing to worry about."

It was rare for All Might to see his mentor to speak so highly of others, but this instance was different. It didn't seem like mere praise.

" Wait…Was he the reason your hero costume is white and yellow?"

* * *

Seeing how young Bakugo was handled, All Might became less suspicious of the caped baldy, but no less wary.

" So he modeled his teaching style after his."

All Might was no stranger to practical training, but seeing someone else undergo it was no less painful. He could already feel the blood in his mouth, especially the look on the young Bakugo's face when he started eating that spicy lobster. The boy liked spicy food, but the lobster's spiciness was further beyond him. He had yet to break his limits.


	5. Chapter 5: Sensei Is Watching

Chapter 5: Sensei Is Watching

All For One had eyes everywhere. He had eyes on his disciple's schemes, as well as any obstacles he would have to face in the future including the boy, even if he had no eyes on his face. AFO had initially dismissed the boy years ago and couldn't fathom him entering the hero industry, yet such a crossing was inevitable ever since that boy had met " **him** ".

The boy whose name was Izuku (出久) could be read as Deku(デク) meaning "wooden puppet". It was a name for someone who can't do anything, yet after meeting **"him"** the boy broke free from his strings.

The man that he had come to know as the **"Sun",** a being **not equal** to anything on earth. He was the ultimate reason why All For One was forced to be nothing more than the **"King of Night"** who had to hide in the shadows. More so than any hero, including All Might who was nothing more than the " **King of Day** " who paraded himself around in public, AFO feared the **"Sun"**. It is the presence of the sun that day and night exists. It is the presence of the sun that life persists. It was because of the **"Sun"** , AFO was ever cautious and watchful. It was not simple paranoia.

Ancient tales from before the age of quirks told of beings that did not come from the earth, but the heavens. These tales were mostly abandoned once humanity discovered space and found that the heavens were still bound by the earth's gravity. Was there any truth was in these tales of these otherworldly creatures? Such were questions a young AFO never thought he would have to ponder one day.

He had lived for many generations and witnessed many things. He had witnessed Smile man give way to Ms. Joke, Mumen Rider to Ingenium and the remnants of creations Dr. Genus give way to the plethora of animal form quirks that exist today. If All For One was like any other mortal with a short life he may have passed whatever he had witnessed as a series of hallucinations or hoaxes, yet it happened time and time again without fail.

All For One had seen it, the moment this world would have ended with certainty, yet the world did not end. It happened again and again, always ending in the same way, by the hand of a bald figure. That figure would make his way toward the world ending monolith, that thing obscured by the clouds and in a single punch opens a seam in the world that defied all logic, a seam between heaven and earth, a rift in space that connected the two realms splitting the horizon cleanly twain. The world seemed to have reached the end of its time, time and time again as if it was a matter of course, but that bald figure would always appear to avert it.

 **!ONE PUNCH!**

Either rising from the ground or coming from the sky, in the end the difference did not matter. If there was truth in the old myths of these heavenly beings and demons, it reared its head whenever the **Caped Baldy** appeared. Why did holy men from east and west with differing beliefs shave their heads?

All For One had for the longest time accepted that bald figure as a natural fixture to this world, just like the sun. He had accepted that such a being would never bother with the petty squabbles of mortals unless the world itself was at stake. That was why he was taken aback when the boy was chosen; the **"Sun"** had shown on him. That boy that should have been quirk-less, bound to a life of insignificance had broken free from the fate that bound him and became the **"Moon".**

Though the training he had undergone seemed pedestrian to the average hero, it was beyond what a scrawny 12 year old boy should have been able to accomplish. Training without rest for months on end should have crippled him according to reality, yet reality was denied. After all, the training itself was the least of the dangers the boy had faced.

There was even a certain incident when the master and disciple ran into the yakuza. The bald figure never really had a way with words, so an escalation was inevitable. The responsibility of resolving that incident was passed onto the boy and the boy responded to that faith.

Cuts, bruises and blood were the things accumulated on the tired boy's body. Even so, he never stopped swinging. His fists made a nasty crunch when they made contact, but it was fortunate that those noises were not the sound of his fists breaking.

 ***crack***

"How is he still standing?"

"…." pant * pant*

The boy had one foot in the grave, yet the bald figure simply watched on convinced of the ultimate outcome. Even All For One thought it was callous, yet that boy never really had the common sense of humans in the first place. As someone who was always pitied for being weak, the small freckled boy could only smile knowing that someone had faith that he would succeed.

 **PUNCH!**

"Dead on his feat, the last swing…..it has to be!"

 **PUNCH!**

It was never the last swing, All For One learned that much, the boy won't stop on his own, every time he staggered, he would break into a smile and regain his vigor. For the boy, the enemy before him had always been his own limitations.

 **"** **Plus Ultra!"**

"Gah!"

Taking down foe by foe, blow by blow, going beyond himself, surpassing who he was yesterday, the boy was intoxicated with victory.

"Nice fight," was what the bald figure said to the unconscious boy who was still standing.

"Wait, I got the directions wrong."

Though unknown to many underlings, the bald figure was known to anyone who held power within the shadows. It was the unsaid rule within the underworld to ignore any incidents involving the bald figure decked in yellow; such was the saving grace for the boy.

/*…. */

The **"Moon",** the mirror of the **"Sun"** harbored the ideals of " **Day",** its moonlight cutting through the darkness of night and that was what the **"King of Night"** feared the most. The boy who admired All Might would surely become a greater obstacle than All Might himself if things continued on their course, for the boy now possessed strength like a god's. The only thing of comfort was the fact that the **"Moon"** was not yet full; his head still had hair.

For anything to be gained, something of equal value must be lost. The cost for a god's strength cannot be simply hair loss, that was what All For One believed. The scales would be broken if that was the case. That was the rule that applied to even the strongest of quirks in this world, All For One and One For All. For someone to gain strength, some else must lose it. That was the case of everyone that bore One For All. That was the case for every victim of All For One. Even the **"Moon"** has places in which the sun never shines.

To match a fledgling demi- **god** , he needed a **demon.** The world has always worked on the concept of plus minus zero. The world could not tolerate to leave balance breakers unbalanced.

Through efforts that defied all logic, an unconscious **"mysterious being"** is summoned in a mass of black mud, taken from a realm that did not exist through the use of the quirk **"transmission"**. It seemed that the laws of conservation could not be denied. The world would always converge to a balance and that was why he was hopeful, but he was promptly disappointed. He had prepared a list of names like Jack, or Mikumo, but when he gazed upon his **demon** , which was hard without actual eyes thanks to All Might, but under closer inspection, none of those names would fit.

/*Muzatsuko(無雑子).*/

That was the name originally written on the notebook she carried.

A pure child. "Muzatsu(無雑)" meaning "pure". It consisted of "mu(無)" meaning " **Nothing** " and "zatsu(雑)" meaning "miscellaneous". A name befitting for a thing he pulled out of the proverbial ether.

All For One could see that someone had scratched out the name. Nothing was scratched out.

Without it Muzatsuko(無雑子) could be read as Zako(雑魚), the derogatory term for small fry.

A derogatory nickname was the other common trait between the two who shared the same face.

While the boy had grasped infinity, this thing in front of him was the embodiment of nothing. It was pure in the sense it had no quirk. An absolute weakling that lacked the power of that boy. Truly a useless thing at first glance. For that reason, All For One was disappointed. It seemed that the world did not actually care for balance.

All For One may have regretted his lapse of judgment, but lots of things in his life could be considered lapses of judgment. Why did he give his little brother a stockpiling quirk again? Even so, the **dark side of the moon** could still fuel his successor's growth. Unfortunately, All For One didn't comprehend the true nature of the demon he had summoned at that time.

The attack on USJ (Unforseen Simulation Joint) his successor had planned on was allowed by him, even if the plan itself had a 100% chance of failing if the information surrounding Sir Nighteye's quirk was accurate. All Might's former sidekick with allegedly perfect "Foresight" had already foreseen All Might's death. Now what would that man say?

 **"** **So, I'll die someday? Everyone dies someday, but that day isn't today is it? What's there to worry about something years down the line? *laughs* If what you saw was true, until that day, nothing in this world can kill me,"** is what All For One imagines All Might would say with a smile.

Whether All Might's life could be taken then and there at the time, the attack served as a useful experiment to validate the strength of the **"Moon"** without the presence of the " **Sun".** All For One needed confirmation of the boy's strength In comparison to All Might's. Even though the boy's strength was true and pure, it was precisely because of its purity that he attracted the envious gazes of his peers.

* * *

 **The day of the sports festival arrived.** It was an opportunity for students to prove themselves to potential recruiters. Internships were on the line and thus their futures.

The event began with an obstacle race, but plots were already floating about before then. With a light tap on the shoulder Izuku was already floating away at the instance Present Mic announced "Start". Regardless of the good feelings people may have harbored for him as the strongest, the strongest is a position of solitude.

Everyone wanted to show what they could do, but they all harbored the fear of being outshone, so it was only natural for them to prey on the strongest. Only the weak are cruel and mercy is the privilege of the strong.

Izuku was floating away and there was only one possible culprit in this situation, Urakara with her **Zero Gravity** quirk.

" I'm done already?"

Before Izuku could mull on the recent events, he could already see Bakugo in the distance chasing down Urakara without any regard for first place.

 **"** **ROUND FACE!"**

The audience doesn't take it kindly when a boy picks on a girl, thus they were actively booing him, but Bakugo Katsuki never cared for the opinions of minor side characters too unimportant to be named.

He had to prove himself to the best and to do that, had had to beat the best on his own. He had to win by his own power.

* * *

In the Sports Festival, All For One could see it, how isolated the freckled face boy truly was. In the obstacle race, everyone that knew of his strength attempted to hinder him. The child of gravity had tried to remove him at the first opportunity, but her plans were foiled by the prideful explosive child. Children are both innocent and cruel. They know very little of the world, but it is precisely because of that narrow view they are the cruelest of this world. Sticky balls, walls of ice, robots, cannons, electrical discharges, disruptive sound waves, various animals, vines, turbo kicks, mines, both the obstacle course and the children around him tried to take him down at every opportunity, yet that boy lived in a completely separate world. Without paying attention to so such things he charged toward the finish line taking first place.

In the cavalry battle, the boy was the strongest horse, yet that alone could not bring victory. Chains are only as strong as the weakest link. A single indestructible link does not guarantee a strong chain.

* * *

Todoroki had made an oath to never use his flames inherited from his father, but he broke that oath that day when he was faced that "monster". Flicking away his ice like it was nothing, the shockwaves nearly blowing him out of the ring, but that fact never crossed that monster's mind. In the face of the overwhelming difference between them, Todoroki only felt one thing, **Despair**. He could never imagine himself wielding strength like that. With that monster in the way, he could never hope to be the number one hero. In the face of that **Despair** , he forgot about his father and at the same time, became just like him. Yet even with the flames, they were put out just as easily as his ice. Even going at full power, his opponent did not bare his fangs even once.

"Are you done yet? With this fight?"

The son of the number 2 hero was never a challenge. It wasn't even a battle, yet Bakugo had won against that monster. By accepting his limits and planning around them, Bakugo had won.

Even though Todoroki used all his power, he could not say he used all his effort. Being the number one hero with ice alone, with only half his power, he realized how arrogant and entitled he was. Seeing Bakugo and his defiant form, he realized the type of person he was. He had spat on the dreams of his peers, dismissing them as lesser beings who weren't even half as good as he was, while spouting off his daddy issues. Despite his crudeness, Bakugo was someone who would respect his opponents enough to give his all like he did in that match with Uraraka. Todoroki's saving grace, his cool demeanor was a shallow thing. In that sense, he was arrogant trash even worse than his own father. On that day of the Sports Festival, Todoroki had lost completely, to Izuku, to Bakugo and even to his own father.

* * *

In the 1 VS 1 matches the freckled boy was undefeated, passing over his opponents with a single flick. Mental attacks or elemental attacks, such attacks never landed. All For One was quite disappointed at the new stock of eggs. The brainwasher and the composite were hypocrites of the highest caliber. Relying on nothing but the gifts they claimed to despise, they thought they could defeat the **"Moon"** who began with nothing. Such engagements could not be called fights, but it changed in the final match.

The petulant grenade had always acknowledged the boy for the longest time even if he didn't want to admit it, for that was the source of his petulance. Taking into account every factor, the incomplete **"Moon"** was conquered under the constraints of rules. That outcome was not outside the realm of possibility, especially for someone who actively sought to be burnt by the **"Sun".** The mirrored rays of the " **Moon"** did not have the same intensity after all.

The freckled boy stood alone, isolated by his peers and it was then All For One played around the idea of getting the boy to join him, but that was just wishful thinking. All For One knew the boy would never stray from the path he had set before himself. It was a path that should not have been open for him, yet he denied that reality with nothing but his will. His limitations **became nothing**. As he demonstrated in that obstacle race, the boy already lived in a different world, nothing in this realm would stop him from running towards his dream.

"To become a super cool hero that **saves everyone** with a smile!"

 **The boy was a machine**. He lived only for his **convictions** and nothing would deter him from them. In that way, he was the same as All Might. All For One still remembers, that figure charging at him with guts spilling out. Even though his body was something of a cosmic horror, he feared such machines originally assembled without a quirk to be found.

* * *

Humans are strong because they can change themselves and rely on others, but that is what katsuki denies and Deku embraces.

Bakugo, first name Katsuki had to win by oneself. Everything he achieves, he attributes to himself. He would prove the power of **"one"** over **"all".**

Midoriya, nicknamed Deku was one who couldn't achieve anything on his own. Anything he achieves, he attributes to others. He would prove the power of **"all"** over **"one** ".

"Handing off your goal to someone else? I have standards," were Bakugo's words to Endeavor.

Everyone child who wanted to be a hero has an ideal hero in their head. Bakugo was no exception and it was this ideal image of All Might that drove him to be number one. For all that he was, he was far from his ideal. In fact, there were others closer to that ideal than he and that is where his hostility stems. For that reason alone, he had to be number one, to overtake that ideal image, to turn that image into his own.

Even before the boy in front of him became strong, he would lend out a hand regardless of his own weakness. The river he fell into as a child was shallow, but the grudge towards that extended hand ran deep.

" You looked like you wanted help."

Giving everything when he had nothing. Trying to help others when he had no power, trying to help others even when he was scared and as that boy grew up, that did not change even as he was beaten and ostracized. The more he pushed him away, the harder he would cling onto him and what unsettled Bakugo was that he could never read him. Maybe his altruism was genuine; maybe someone can be strong even if they are weak.

 **If he was in that boy's situation, would he have displayed that same type of strength?**

That question was always on the back of his mind, something he always wanted to deny, but he could not deny it when the source of those thoughts was standing before him in the ring.

In a sense, fate had allowed him to prove himself to himself. He was completely outclassed in power, his doubts were becoming fear, but to overtake the ideal image of a hero and make that image into his own, he had to move forward.

 **STUN GRENADE**

The bright light blinds him. Izuku can't see.

 **Crack, Crack, Crack**

The erratic cracking noises, varying in size and pitch make it difficult to judge distance. In that way, Bakugo had sealed off Izuku's senses.

" I can't breathe?"

The oxygen in the area was consumed by a constant stream of combustion reactions. The smoke was clogging his lungs. All aerobic organisms require oxygen regardless of size or strength to fuel the reactions that require them to move. The fighters were no exception. It was only logical that the fighter that used more physically oriented fighter would have higher oxygen requirements to act.

Working up oneself was not the only way to sweat. Sweat is released to cool the body down. The body would sweat as long as the surface was hot, and in the case of Bakugo's sweat, it could generate heat via a reaction. With that loop of logic, he could sweat indefinitely until his body dried up or die of heat exhaustion.

Izuku could jump above the smoke, but in the air Bakugo had the advantage of mobility. If he stayed still too long, the smoke would suffocate him, probably. Blow away the smoke in a single strike that was the option he chose.

 **Serious …..SLAP**

A great gale is generated and to the dismay of the audience, the smoke and dust had become their problem, yet as the smoke cleared, one of the fighters could not be seen.

Izuku searched the arena and the sky, but Bakugo was nowhere in sight.

" Was he blown out of the ring?"

To get rid of the oxygen in the ring was a double edged plan, but though reckless, Bakugo wasn't stupid. With above average spatial awareness, he was able to get behind his opponent while cloaked in smoke. His nitroglycerin sweat soaked uniform had served as a makeshift plastic explosive which he used to dig a trench behind his opponent. With the smoke gone and the oxygen in the air restored, Bakugo resumed his assault from behind and his assault on the minds of all the young girls in the audience.

"The fated battle between men," Urakara couldn't help but repeat those words in her head.

 ***Btoom***

Despite his strength, speed and durability, his mass was the same as anyone else his size. With an explosion aimed at his feet, Izuku was sent flying.

"You are the strongest and that's why I'll win," was Bakugo's interpretation of Saitama-sensei's advice.

Someone with unlimited power who could end fights in a single move wouldn't know how to fight and how to win. Izuku himself may not have limits, but the rules of the tournament do. The losing condition isn't dying and neither is the winning condition killing your opponent. Whoever is still standing in the ring would be the winner.

Izuku may have been invincible, but the ring under him was not. Even if the gap in power between them was infinite, Bakugo undoubtedly had more years of experience with the limited power at his disposal.

Trying to recover, Izuku stomps hard on the ground before he is flung out of the ring.

 ***Btoom***

While in the air, Izuku noticed one thing.

"He ditched his shoes…that means"

Inspired by the mines in the earlier part of the festival, Bakugo had covered his side of the ring with nitroglycerin produced by the sweaty soles of his feet. Whether Bakugo knew it or not, his clashes with Saitama-sensei during lunch break had yielded results.

 **"** **Sweaty palms and sweaty feet are like the same thing right?"** were the words Saitama-sensei had once said without thinking. In another universe, many would question why Izuku took so long to notice the **power of kicks** , yet many failed to realize the same could be said of Bakugo with his sweaty feet.

Izuku was in the air trying to make out what happened in the last few instance and within this time frame of confusion was Bakugo's chance, the decisive moment.

 **Howitzer Impact**

Propelling himself in a spin, Bakugo hits Izuku cleanly with his signature attack.

The decisive moment would determine the final outcome of the Sports Festival. With his fist clenched, Izuku was conflicted on his next action. He did not want this rematch to be a repeat of last time, yet he still wanted to win.

" How did it come to this?"

Izuku was lost in thought and started reminiscing of today's events.

A moment's hesitation decides the match.

"..."

The lone figure stands in the ring victorious. The boy had fought against overwhelming odds and overturned his inevitable defeat.

The victor with a grudge extends his hand out to the loser, a reversal of what happened a about decade ago when Bakugo fell into that shallow pond. A nostalgic scene it was. The hand that gives is above the hand that takes.

"It's my win," was what Bakugou said from stranding over loser.

"Yes, and it's my loss," was what Izuku responded from below.

* * *

The finalists stand on the podium, with All Might being responsible for handing out the medals.

"Good job making good on your promise, is there anyone you would want to thank?"

"Myself."

"That isn't how these speeches are supposed to go."

"What nonsense are you spouting; victory is something you have to grasp yourself."

"Midoriya, any words?"

"I would like to thank Saitama-sensei, without him, I probably wouldn't have even made it into this school."

Present Mic pinpoints Saitama in crowd putting him into the center of attention.

 **"** **Anything you have to say to that?"**

"I agree with the constipated kid."

"What!?" was the response of almost all the spectators, with some going as far as having a spit take. The mood was ruined in an instant.

"I only gave you directions, you were the one who ran the distance with your own strength and made it this far," were the only words he had for his disciple.

In the back of his mind, Bakugou was slightly irritated at the outcome, even as he dawned the gold medal. He did not want such a victory. His opponent was the strongest, yet for him to still lose like this, that's not how the strongest are supposed to be. Win or lose, Bakugo always had something to complain about.


	6. Chapter 6: Minus Ultra

Chapter 6: Minus Ultra

Iida had chased after the Hero Killer in order to avenge his older brother, but he had failed. A native-American themed hero lay wounded in front of him, yet his eyes were focused entirely on Stain. Even with that focus, he was lying flat on the floor waiting for impending death. He had failed as a hero and as a brother.

Before Stain the hero killer had it, another kid had entered the scene. Someone with familiar green locks and freckled face was already giving First Aid to the hero he was trying to kill. The stranger didn't pay any heed to him.

"Who are you?"

「*I'm a hero as a hobby….*」

"Hero" and "hobby" are words that should never be used in the same sentence, that was what Iida believed, but after realizing his motivations for hunting down the hero killer, he couldn't help but see the beauty of those two words together. There is undeniable beauty in the fact that someone would go so far to save someone for what essentially amounted to no reason at all.

"….that motivation junk really has nothing to do with anything, huh?"

Iida finally realized the meaning behind Saitama-sensei's words and a smile naturally appeared on his face, replacing the heavy demeanor he had on a while ago. Iida could only lay his head low, basking in the ludicrous beauty in those ridiculous words, but when his senses had come, he had felt something off about the voice and when he raised his head higher he knew why that was.

The person who had come wasn't Midoriya, though there was a resemblance if you discounted her ridiculous maid outfit accented with red ribbons. If asked why she wore something like that, she would reveal the fact she was an elementary school dropout and never got a middle school uniform. If she wore a uniform, it would only be on the level of mere cosplay and if she was going to cosplay, it had to be a maid uniform, since anything else was too flashy. She didn't have to confidence to cosplay as has her favorite fictitious Jump character, Kumagawa Misogi. Even if she was weak, even if she was lazy, even if she was clearly no good, even if she was just a small fry, a random addition to balance out the factions, she wanted to be Number 1 and to be Number 1, she didn't necessarily have to be a hero if popularity polls were anything to go by.

An unsettling aura washed over the area and it wasn't coming from Stain. It was coming from the oddly familiar girl who certainly didn't belong to this world.

「*is what I would like to say, but it's just me Zako, looking to usurp the main character.*」

Both speech and mannerisms did not fit the scene at all. Was it a result of excessive foolishness or excessive confidence? The thing in front of Stain right now must either be a clueless idiot or a monster, but from that unsettling feeling that she naturally emanated, he went with the latter.

"Die monster, you don't belong in this world."

Before anything happened, the figure in front of Iida was decapitated and a geyser of red was created. Iida's grasp of reality was slipping as he couldn't comprehend the violence that was happening around him.

Two corpses lay in front of him. The girl's interference barely bought a minute. The paralyzed who was leaning on the wall was dispatched in an instant by a flick of the blade. Now that stained blade was coming for him.

The blade passes through his throat.

Agony and despair were stained on Iida's face as the last embers of life trickled out of his body. He strayed from the path of a hero, seeking vengeance for his brother and he was rewarded with nothing.

Blood splattered the walls, and Stain quickly left the lifeless scene to hunt for more prey.

「*It is not by my hand that I'm once again given flesh…..I messed up.*」

The one that should have died was standing over the scene completely unharmed. It was at that moment that the events were converging back to canon, Deku and Todoroki….as well as Bakugo entering the scene only to see the self proclaimed Zako standing over two corpses, and one of them belonging to someone they knew. If Deku didn't take an internship under Endeavor with Todoroki, maybe things could have turned out differently.

Rushing over to the fallen bodies, the two heroes in training sought out any signs of life, but they didn't find any. Panic was settling in as Todoroki looked over to the other hero in training, he found an unsettling calm. As he looked over to Bakugou, he was simply sizing up to the strange girl.

"What are you supposed to be?"

Despite being a novice, Deku retained his "rationality" and turned his attention over to the other living person on the scene who was inexplicably smiling at them.

「*If you're wondering, it's not my fault.*」

Such wasn't a normal response for a supposed bystander and the resemblance to Deku was unsettling. The two look-alikes were staring at one another, never breaking their gazes. There was an unsettling coldness creeping up Todoroki's spine different from the coldness he himself could generate. Bakugou looked displeased.

"Take off that stupid disguise."

Putting her hands together and trying to act innocently, the girl answered.

「*It's not...alternate universe?….no….clone?...twin brother….No, I am your …that sounds more dramatic… *」

Formulating a back story not for plausibility, but for dramatic impact, even though she wasn't really clear on what "dramatic impact" was supposed to be. Staring at her doppelganger, she says something totally out of place, though in this world that names places after the planets in Star Wars, it wasn't too out there.

「*I am your father.*」

Deku was completely dumbfounded. Thinking back, his parents lived separately. In fact, he did not really have any memories of his father who he hasn't seen in a while. Whenever he tries to think hard on it about it, there is only nothing. Not even a face. That fact was somewhat unsettling, but the fact he accepted that fact all those years was more so. Why hadn't his father crossed his mind? He breathed fire apparently. The more he thought, the more he doubted he even had a father. It was as if his father was All Fiction, but he had to have a father right? This person in front of them, his twin sister was proof right!? She lived overseas with their father and she came here to visit was the explanation Deku was fabricating for himself. His mind was drifting away and he wasn't even sure what he was thinking anymore. Only after thinking about it for a few seconds more, he noticed something wrong.

"You mean sister, right?" was his response as he slammed the bottom of his fist upon his palm, nodding with apparent understanding after being satisfied with his reasoning. Day by day, Saitama-sensei's influence was showing. He was honestly wondering why he was taking the nonsense being spouted seriously.

「*Did you just assume my gender? *」

Before Bakugou had even realized anything, a screw was protruding from his chest and the girl was no longer in his view. If this were a game, it would be an attack without an attack animation. It was a broken glitch, not unlike Izuku's stats.

"Kacchan?"

An attack that literally took no time at all. Deku failed to intercept it as he was trying to make sense of the surreal situation in front of him. With the fallen form of Bakugou on the floor, Izuku had entered a form of shock and forgotten all about his doppelganger. He was quickly trying to apply First Aid to stop the bleeding, but Bakugo was showing no signs of recovering. It was a weird feeling, one of the cornerstones of his life simply being taken like that was a quite a blow.

Todoroki on the other hand was in a state of panic. In front of them was a monster, possibly even stronger than their own monster. Forgetting about collateral damage and constraint, Todoroki blasted the monster with all of his hellish flames in a vain attempt to ward it off.

Instead of being completely unharmed like Izuku would have been, the girl was reduced to a charred carbonized form, yet that did not stop the monster from talking. If the devil exists in this world, then it must be standing in front of him.

「*Already woken up over your daddy issues Zuko?*」

In that instant, a winged beast without a skull swooped in to grab the charred corpse. In that instant, the world had changed. The events that transpired were something like a nightmare and in that moment, all the dreamers woke up.

Iida had felt the sensation of death, yet here he was still breathing with no wounds. In fact, he felt better than before. His armored suit was pristine. All evidence of the cruel scene which was stained into his memories simply became **Nothing**.

Midoriya stood dumbfounded. Bakugo, Todoroki, Iida and even Mr. Native were all standing around with no wounds to speak of. Not even a scratch on their costumes. Iida no longer suffered from back problems and his arm was completely fine as if nothing had happened to it. Everyone's grasp of reality was slipping and they all feared they were going mad, but they were not alone. For on this day, the whole world will be overcome with a madness.

In the center of attention was the Hero Killer, Stain, facing down the number 2 hero Endeavor. The Hero Killer was caught in the open and could not properly use his blood curdling quirk. He was at a complete disadvantage, surrounded on all sides. The numerous heroes had ganged up upon him and he had sustained various wounds, like a punctured lung. Even so, the heroes kept their distance and the Hero Killer's next words kept them there.

"The only one allowed to kill me is the true hero, All Might!"

Everyone was frozen, until in that moment, the onlookers could see something flying in the air, carrying something vaguely human shaped. This parcel was delivered into the hands of a man covered in hands standing on a roof top, which many recognized as the leader of the League of Villains. To the onlookers, he seemed like a hero swooping in to save his comrade in the last second.

「All of you don't see anything do you?….You all act like heroes even though you can't save ONE CHILD.」

In Tomura's hands which he thrust into the air for the world to see was a burnt corpse with frail bones. Tomura was eyeing Endeavor with cameras rolling all around them from the phones of bystanders to the one a news crew carried along in their helicopter.

Everyone had their eyes fixed on the hero with the flaming beard. It didn't matter if this ordeal was orchestrated by villains, succumbing to base emotions; the people were turning against the heroes.

"Child killer!"

Endeavor tried to find the source of that voice in the crowd but he couldn't. Endeavor was at the mercy of everyone's gazes and couldn't stop what Tomura was implying to the world. He tried throwing a fireball at the film crew as a warning, but the flying beast lacking a skull tanked the shot and fell from the sky. Endeavor never had the best reputation despite being the Number 2 hero, but his approval ratings were simply being destroyed.

Meeting the Hero Killer left Tomura with a sense of irritation. Going on and on about meaningless garbage like conviction, acting like that makes him superior.

「We just want to destroy the things we don't like.」

Anyone can say pretty words. Such a world this is, spout off powerful sounding words and you can justify anything. That was how shallow justice was. Tomura could play the Hero Killer's game. Thinking back to the old obscure biographies he had read on a notable Hero Hunter, he merely borrowed the words.

「 YET people rely on you madmen. They have a mistaken assumption that of course YOU"LL SAVE THEM, no matter what happens, SOMEONE will do SOMETHING. It's not their problem if someone's in TROUBLE, and so in a small part of their heart it will have room to grow, EVIL SHALL BE BORN.」

To anyone listening, even though they were scripted, they could only hear it as something genuine. In the back of Tomura's mind, he remembered Sensei's words to bring forth convincing emotion.

"No one came to save you….."

The poison flowed endlessly with what people assumed was genuine emotion. The poison was intoxicating, more so than what Stain had spewed. The unconscious Stain was unable to reject Tomura's poison.

「But this evil will never be judged. This is the difference between them and villains.」

The corpse in Tomura's hands dissipated into dust and the gentle winds carried them away. The film crew was enamored with the scene that was straight out of a movie. People are stupid creatures and will gravitate to things they find flashy, no different than moths to a flame. That was how many heroes earned their place and Tomura would simply use the same method. With his hands empty, his words only became stronger. Tomura had stolen everyone's gazes and on his face, a smile blossomed.

「THIS PHONY PEACE HAS DYED THE PEOPLE EVIL. BULLYING, DISCRIMINATION AND WAR STILL EXIST. WHAT THIS WORLD NEEDS IS NOT BIASED JUSTICE! BUT UNBIASED ABSOLUTE EVIL. WE CAN UNITE THE WHOLE WORLD AS ONE WITH TERROR!...UNBIASED TERROR CAN CREATE TRUE PEACE. DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF DUTY LIKE OURS?」

No hero came to save Tomura as a child, but a villain. Even as the world becomes dust, he would always have that memory. Heroes and villains were simply the two sides of the same coin. The difference between them is who wins and who loses in the end. If you keep winning, you are a hero, it's simply that. Those who lose are in the wrong and are considered villains. That is the way the world works. He was a loser, a minus, that's why he will break this world into dust.

「Not all kids are waiting for heroes. Some like me were waiting for a great villain to take the stage. 」

That trash All Might was simply a tool of violence, a beat stick for the winners to hit losers with. For every Plus, there must be a Minus, for this world was Plus Minus Zero Sum game. Thrusting his hand violently in front of his face with fingers outstretched, Tomura uttered something of a familiar phrase.

「MINUS ULTRA!」

With those words, the whole world seemed to go mad. To the bystanders and all the people watching it live, as well as those who would come across recordings of this historical scene, they couldn't help but repeat those words. Across the country, it became a viral chant.

"MINUS ULTRA! MINUS ULTRA! MINUS ULTRA!"


	7. Chapter 7: Gathering the Pieces

Chapter 7: Gathering the Pieces

As Izuku thought back on the events of that day at Hosu, he couldn't help, but feel inadequate. He wanted to deny it, but after witnessing scenes of death up close, he could no longer overlook the flaws that still dwelled within him.

Those flaws were the facts his mind and heart were still fallible. **Hesitation and panic,** had kept him away from his true potential.

It should have dawned on him in the Sports Festival; no it should have dawned on him in his first practical exercise against Kacchan or even the UA entrance exam. He was nothing more than a fidgeting force of nature. Emotions would dull his motions and he would devolve in an erratic mess. Overusing force or not using enough. He either hurt people excessively or he lost, in that sense, he never really felt like a winner even when he wins.

He would have lost to Shinso's brainwashing quirk if not for his special mind strengthening chant.

" No AC in summer and no heat in winter, no AC in summer and no heat in winter."

In his shaken state, he delivered a punch whose shockwave knocked Shinso out cold and out of the ring.

He had always been more of a fidgeting force of nature than a hero, unleashing his infinite strength with little awareness.

In that final clash with Kacchan, he could have delivered a final counter, but he withheld it. He didn't trust himself in his panicked state. Kacchan may have sensed it, but luckily he dismissed that idea and didn't throw a massive fit in front of national television, though that did not mean he didn't throw televised fits earlier in the Sports Festival. B-class was terribly angry at them because of Kacchan.

Victory would be in his hands, yet he would let it slip.

No matter how much he had progressed in terms of physical attributes, he was still a far cry from being a hero like Saitama or All Might. He did not possess the finesse.

The striking image of Saitama-sensei's fist enters his vision. It was a nostalgic thing.

It was an occasional treat whenever they were on their daily 10KM run as a villain entered their view.

Before he had bald spots, all he could think of it was a hand that possessed infinite power, yet as he lost his hair, he could tell it was something more.

As Izuku ran his fingers through his still abundant head of hair, he knew he was far from Saitama's level despite the bald spots. Though infinitely fast, he still did not have speed that surpassed even precognition like his Master before him. He was not a baldy yet.

As he thought about it, the recent of events at Hosu where Endeavor's reputation was struck a fatal blow, it would make his continued internship questionable. As he looked over to Kacchan, he noticed he was in a mood worse than usual and so he turned his attention to his other classmates.

As he looked around the classroom, his classmates were discussing the events of their respective internships.

"You saw Deku in a maid outfit?" was Uraraka's exclamation of surprise as Iida was recounting his harrowing run in with Stain.

"Seriously!" was what Kirishima exclaimed as he was nudging Bakugo who was trying his best to ignore him.

Ever since Uraraka learned of his shared past with Kacchan, she would ramble on and on about the "fated battle between men", occasionally peaking at him with an unsettling stare he never really understood.

Meeting one's doppelganger was never a good sign if **"Bulge of the Battle Star"** was anything to go by. When the two meet, one would die moments later, that was how those meetings usually went and in his experience it held true, maybe? The whole ordeal was surreal. He couldn't help, but think he should have felt something different from the incident. A corpse bearing his face, it should have unsettled him, but he possessed no sympathy.

Todoroki was especially shaken after creating a burnt body, and as Izuku remembered that familiar hand faced man's performance, he couldn't help think Endeavor's reputation was being attacked on purpose.

"Child Killer."

That was what the public accused Endeavor of being despite the fact that there were no reported casualties at Hosu despite all the damage or Stain running rampant. No one was injured and that was an unsettling fact. That was the fact of the matter whenever the " **League of Villains** " was involved. For them, life was but a video game. They had targeted All Might and now they were gunning for Endeavor, hoping to erode away the pillars of peace they represented.

 **「** **If you can't beat the final boss on the first go, grind up on the lower bosses.** **」** was what that hand faced man would probably say if Izuku's intuition was correct.

When he had personally faced them down, Aizawa had claimed that they were nothing but hired actors to play the part of villains. This was reinforced as Izuku did research on a man covered in hands.

Initially, the public thought he was a petty criminal that did acts of petty vandalism, yet there would be no trace of evidence the next day. His targets always ended up pristine.

Everyone remembers that day when the one who introduced himself as Shigaraki appeared on top of that statue of All Might in the center of the city. When he placed his hand on top of the statue's face, it started to disintegrate into dust. In the view of the large audience, he pulled off an elegant landing, or it would have been elegant if he wasn't wearing an outfit decorated in tacky hands. When the authorities tried to catch him, he disappeared with a puff of black mist, yet the outcome would always be the same. The statue that was certainly reduced to dust had returned like nothing happened.

Some people in public went as far to call the man, the "Handyman". He would appear one day to destroy various monuments right in front of people's eyes, yet they would be fixed the next day by some sort of miracle.

People tried to figure out the identity of this "Handyman". Since a mask covered his face, many believed him to be Overhaul, the leader of the Eight Precepts of Death. He had the right quirk, yet people dismissed this theory as Yakuza weren't so keen on media exposure.

There was no apparent goal, or any reason. He was a man child who went about smashing things, but was responsible enough to put things back as they were. So harmless he appeared to be, the only heroes bothering to apprehend him were those after cheap media exposure, but that all changed in his "assault" against the students of UA.

By word of mouth, the public knew that this childish, yet mysterious figure was the leader of the aptly named " **League of Villains** ". The faculty of UA dismissed the attack as a training exercise for students and then the " **League of Villains** " cemented itself as a sort of theatre troupe hired by heroes for publicity stunts. As physical evidence of their " **crimes** " never seemed to exist, the " **League of Villains** " had the gall to be a publically traded company with merchandise. No one could ever prove that they ever did anything. Any video of them that exists never depicts them doing anything illegal.

After all, none of their antics resulted in any casualties or permanent damage. It was all about the spectacle. There stock market prices shooting up ever since that incident in Hosu. One of their apparent members, Twice, who has never been unmasked, has been reported to work as a fodder spawner for hero shows at amusement parks on multiple occasions. It can't be denied he has the perfect quirk for it, though it was strange he never worked as fodder himself. Despite the innocent facade, there was something more to **LoV**.

Everything changed when that incident at Hosu occurred. There were many people that tried to contextualize the nature of the " **LoV** ".

Did the League appear to denounce Stain or support him? The fact **LoV** profited off Stain merchandise didn't help answer anything. Hero action figures need villain action figures after all.

Was the League simply a group of stage hands or was it actually a group of villains?

Regardless of what the "League of Villains" was, everyone knew what it represented.

The League of Villains was a **Symbol of Change** and many were willing to ride its wave.

* * *

People were slowly losing faith in heroes, Endeavor was not an exception. The world was changing quickly and the pillars of peace were crumbling. All Might could feel it in his bones. There were a lot of absurd things in this world, a lot of things he came to accept, but in front of All Might was a man he couldn't comprehend.

"You may have absolute strength, but you don't have absolute power. You're not a baldy yet."

By sheer coincidence, All Might had run into Saitama at a nightly supermarket sale hoping to snatch up some half priced bento as a midnight snack. As the night progressed, they found themselves facing off each other on a familiar beach. Sand and water were kicked up at regular intervals, regardless of how careful the two combatants were trying to be. It was apparent that tomorrow's forecast would be rain mixed with some sand.

His old teacher Gran Torino seemed to have a lot of respect for the Caped Baldy. At first, he attributed it to harmless ageism, but after exchanging a few hundred punches, All Might could feel it. Young Midoriya seemed to exude an infinite amount of strength from his small frame, but Saitama-sensei was something much more.

All Might rushed forward, his two hands quickly becoming hundreds of fists as, but before they could make impact, a hundred red-gloved hands materialized to catch them all.

"My turn."

 **Consecutive Normal Punches**

Fists emerged in front of All Might and with two hands he could block two at once, but the third smashed into his unprotected stomach. There was no delay between the 3 punches, it wasn't simply a matter of speed, they were all launched at the same time, and the 3 fists simultaneously existed in that moment. Saitama was careful not to make a 4th.

Saitama-sensei was certainly going easy on him just as Gran Torino had. There was no reason for him to stop his combo at 3 punches. If he so desired, he could have ended the fight with his first punch. That one thing alone was what All Might knew as truth. The fact his fist was in 3 places at once by some odd multi-dimensional refraction phenomenon in that moment was irrelevant.

As Izuku was trying to clear his head of unsavory thoughts, he found himself at Dagoba beach wishing to feel the calm see breeze, but he managed to spy his two heroes in a bout.

The two fighters continued their clash, the raging winds preventing anyone from getting too close. All Might's punches and kicks created audible snaps, but it was apparent that Saitama was on the defensive, or that was what it would have appeared to Izuku if he saw this battle years ago. Saitama was holding back, only using the rare half baked counter.

All Might's power had seemed bottomless when he was a child, but that changed when he himself had become strong. Even All Might had limits, but Saitama-sensei by contrast did not.

Saitama-sensei's wasn't simply infinite, it was beyond that.

That red gloved fist wasn't merely a hand that possessed infinite power. That was what Izuku had come to know, a truth that would be cemented today.

It was a hand that reshaped reality itself. It wasn't the punch itself that granted victory, rather, it was victory that caused Saitama's punch.

 **It was a burning hand that grasped victory as it was clenched, before the fist was even thrown. It's silent roar guaranteed victory through a reversal of causality. Speed, power, time, place, intent and causality were irrelevant. Victory was a matter of course.**

It was a sure-win plot punch that could pierce any plot armor. He was a hero that always wins with no exception, the very embodiment of Kacchan's ideal. Izuku still had a long way to go from reaching that ideal. He was not a baldy yet.

All Might braced himself for the unstoppable red fist, yet that fist thrown at warp speed was stopped at warp speed, but that did not stop the great gale which was the byproduct of that fist. The air was suffocating, and the clouds were parted. Such a feat was something All Might could accomplish easily in his prime if he was serious, and something he could still accomplish if he was willing to cough up some blood, but the man in front of him did not bare his fangs even once. On Saitama's face was the same unchanging distant expression throughout the entire fight. It was a face that seemed to suggest that the trip to the supermarket for half priced food a while back was more exciting.

All Might was at his limit, and as his muscles relaxed, he assumed an emancipated form not unlike a skeleton. Izuku almost revealed his location with an audible gasp.

"Are you all right?!"

All Might couldn't keep up his façade of health and he regressed into his passive form with blood pooling in his mouth. His large muscular form which was his public image at some point had become little more than literal smoke after a life threatening injury and All Might was forced to live a double life as an emancipated skeleton.

"Why…. why you didn't become a **Symbol of Peace**?"

That was the nicest All Might could phrase his question in his moment of weakness. In the pits of his heart, he was raging. Wondering what such a hero was doing when All For One was prowling about for generations. Saitama was simply a hero who could never lose. Trying to support All Might by giving him someone to lean on, Saitama tried his best to answer in a civil manner.

"I didn't become a hero to be praised. I wasn't all too popular as a pro."

Emancipated and coughing up blood, All Might did not understand the old man in front of him even if his explanation was not unlike Gran Torino's.

"Besides, you're doing a fine job yourself as a symbol right?"

There were many like his sidekick Sir Nighteye that urged him to retire when they saw that body of his, to find someone who didn't was refreshing. All Might could only give a hearty laugh with a smile on his face.

"Even with this weak unreliable body? "

Even though All Might was far from his prime, Saitama still acknowledge him as a formidable hero.

"You know, I knew someone who wanted to become a hero, someone who fought for world peace…"

It was a wish almost everyone at one point dreams of.

"But that person lowered the hurdle right before the goal, settled for being a monster, a **Symbol of Terror.** "

A Symbol of Terror, someone who enforced peace and order through force, not caring about how people lived. All Might knew of someone like that all too well. That was what All For One was. In the anarchy that followed after the pervasive introduction of Quirks, he was the one who ended it through terror. Subjugating the warlords and establishing a shadow dictatorship. At some point, All For One must have thought himself as a hero on some level, but as he lived through the generations, he had become a pure villain. All For One lost his chance to die a hero and was forced to face down his own brother, the first holder of One For All, the power that now courses through All Might's veins, even if that body was currently on the verge of death

"That's why you should give yourself more credit. You realized your ideal without compromise no matter how hard it got. That body of yours is proof of that. You're living your dream."

All Might understood that answer, but it wasn't an answer that satisfied All Might.

" **The Symbol of Peace** must be unwavering and unbeatable; it must never lose to evil."

Saitama's answer did not change.

"Even if I'm unbeatable, that man who settled for being a monster didn't accept me as a hero back then. All I could do was beat him. … If you were in my place back then, I know you could have saved his spirits."

As the conversation went on, All Might remembered what his predecessor had taught him. A hero doesn't just save people's lives; a hero also saves people's spirits. Despair and danger go hand in hand. How could he have forgotten such a simple thing? For a second, he was ashamed for being praised so highly by someone clearly stronger.

"Sorry if I was rude, but I have to asky, why? Why now of all times to appear?"

It was a question All Might already knew the answer to. It was a problem he had faced too.

"My hero hobby kinda got tedious. I kinda forgot why I wanted to be a hero in the first place… but then that kid showed up…"

Saitama could only be referring to one person.

"Young Midoriya?"

The proud look on Saitama's face was all All Might needed for an answer. The world has always been absurd.

" If the heroes run away, who's left to help?"

He was weak and probably wouldn't have changed the outcome, but he came anyways to save him. His feet moving before he had a chance to think. The fire in young boy's eyes was not lost on Saitama and it was then Saitama remembered. A crabman and a ball chinned boy, that's how it started for him.

" Like looking into an old mirror…...I was once a boy like that too….wasn't I?"

Thus a spark re-ignited the flame. The people whom he once saved were no longer just a faceless mass.

All Might and Saitama were finishing up their midnight bento boxes on the beach. They were a responsible sort so it was guaranteed that they would dispose of their garbage responsibly.

"If you're so concerned about that body of yours, why are you still working as a hero?"

"Like you said, I'm living my dream. When I was a child, I never thought that this dream would come true."

Izuku in the distance hidden from view was listening in on the entire conversation. In his state of near exhaustion and egged on by the emotions swirling inside of him, All Might said things he probably shouldn't if the media were listening in.

"But then, she appeared…. she took me in under her wing, some random quirk-less kid and told me **I could become a hero**. So every day after that, I lived my dream and I just refused to wake up."

Gazing down at his weak body, All Might wanted an answer from the world's strongest man.

"Do you think I should wake up?"

 **"** **Just do what you want."**

* * *

You do what society asks of you to the letter. You go to school; you study hard and get into university. After which, you'll get a decent paying job and eventually retire in your old age, possibly in the company of any family you may have sired. Yet, that plan for many is both a dream and a delusion. Sometimes you just don't fit in, the friction between dream and reality driving you to despair. Even after spending the past 22 years of life preparing, you always botched that interview. You remember your childhood and realize how insignificant your life had been up to that point. You didn't have grand childhood adventures and before you knew it; your childhood had passed you by without you accomplishing anything notable. You never see those people you hung out with kids. Those kids you went to school with had become strangers long ago. As an adult your own your own alone botching interview after interview. What was the point of your life? For many, it is then they sink into depression, but after being bombarded with life's absurdities, you could only laugh.

A crabman and a ball chinned boy? It was something right out of an anime.

It was then you remembered you wanted to be a hero as a kid. Your life is yours; just do what you want, though what you want will probably disappoint you when you get there.

You became the hero of your dreams, but it left you empty, but there was a silver lining. Along the many detours, it was there you found things more important than what you wanted. The lives you saved and those smiling faces, those things couldn't have been a mistake right?

* * *

The recent exploits of the League of Villains did not go unnoticed. For the longest time, the general public viewed them as mere pranksters and in recent times a theater troupe. Appearing out of nowhere and causing chaos, but in the aftermath of it all, there would be no causalities, or even damage.

Everyone had a different interpretation of what the League of Villains was supposed to be, but it couldn't be denied that the League wished to change the present. Thus, all sorts of people, from all walks of life sought out to join the League of Villains, whether they are disgruntled law-abiding citizens, aspiring heroes or even villains. They all flocked to be a part of the **Symbol of Change**.

Neito Monoma, the blond boy from class 1-B who would like to be one day known throughout the world as " **the Phantom Thief** " was sitting in a bar, a supposed hideout of the "League of Villains". It was quaint little bar, with a waitress in a maid uniform in the corner sweeping away, but he quickly turned his gaze. The green beast, the strongest horse of the cavalry battle, he wanted to forget. As he eyed the bartender, Kurogiri, though his face was obscured by black mist, looking at the snazzy way he was dressed, he knew he had made the right decision. He aced the interview and now was meeting his co-workers whom he will have to work within a 3 man cell.

The **League of Villains** , the theatre troupe hired by UA as stand in villains for that training exercise for A-class. Just because he was in B-class did not mean he was second rate, yet the school afforded the opportunity for A-class. Though he did not want to get into trouble, as someone who would be called the **Phantom Thief** one day, he could not let such a class disparity slide.

" **Minus Ultra** ," was the motto the League of Villains used, cementing themselves as the fictional rivals to UA High whose motto was " **Plus Ultra** ". It was exactly something a cheesy no talent writer would do.

By volunteering at the **League of Villains** , the theatre troupe that was secretly partnered with UA High, some aspiring heroes wished to boost their CV.

Monoma looked around at the other people who showed up, a man covered in a black body suit who was having a hard time containing his excitement and a blond high school girl with hair buns who always had an eerie smile that showed off her pronounced canine teeth. On second thought, maybe he had made the wrong decision.

These three were brought together in the same room specifically for the **Quirks** that were written down in a certain notebook.

Monoma, a.k.a Phantom Thief could copy Quirks with his **Copy**.

Jin, a.k.a Twice could copy people with his **Double**.

Himoko Toga could copy appearances with her **Transform**.

It was then the familiar Handyman appeared, with a handheld in his hand. Tomura eyed the members of **Ditto Trio** and only had one thing to say, before he went back to punching buttons on his handheld.

 **「** You three will be the Ditto Trio. **」**

 **Ditto Trio** of the Vanguard Action Squad would be there designation.

"Isn't this the part we give self-introductions?"

The bartender with the obscured face who was trying to steer the conversation away from anything too personal, as it would be a problem if an aspiring hero for example found out he was working with a serial killer. Besides, they had all the data they needed on these three.

" **LoV** accepts all. There is no discrimination here."

 **「** Wait, you're from UA, could you extend an invitation to Mr. First Place? **」**

In Tomura's hand was a photo of Bakugo.

"It's always about A-class isn't it!? " as Monoma was losing his patience.

"Why'd you want that wimp?" was what Toga had interjected.

In the corner of the bar was an incessant inaudible muttering, but the Ditto Trio dismissed it.

Steering the conversation away from themselves and onto others was the best course of action.

"You just called me out here to tell me that?" Monoma wasn't pleased.

 **「** No, I have an initiation job for you three. **」**

Tomura pulled out another photo, this time depicting a delicate white-haired woman from a psychiatric ward whose appearance did not match her age. Tomura was too blunt and direct and seemed to irritate the aspiring hero a tad too much, so Kurogiri took over the debriefing.

"You're all aware of what the public thinks of Endeavor correct? You're aware of the rumors regarding his less than ideal family life correct?"

Ever since denouncing Endeavor became popular, there were tabloids everywhere, seeking to expose the sort of person he was.

"On your right is someone who can disguise herself as anyone. On your left is someone who can create decoy doubles. You have the ability to borrow those gifts."

A disguise ability and a decoy ability, such were fundamentals for any aspiring **Phantom Thief**. In that instant, Monoma was satisfied. Whoever put the team together put a lot of thought into it, or that's what he wanted to believe and tried to dismiss the handheld in the troupe leader's hands. His gaze returned to Kurogiri.

"A pretty woman abused by her husband, imprisoned in a castle. Isn't whisking her away a job most befitting you Mr. **Phantom Thief**?"

Staring at that melancholic, yet sultry face, something primal was burning within Monoma, a feeling he wanted to deny. Twice on the other hand perfectly knew what this feeling was and embraced it. Toga was sorely disappointed, but a job was a job. Society was getting harder to live in for people like her after all.

"Just do what you want."


	8. Chapter 8: Broken Mirrors

Chapter 8: Broken Mirrors

Todoroki's world was falling apart. He had always despised his father, but now the world agrees with his sentiments, but that was far from a good thing.

"Your left side is unsightly."

He feels nothing from the whispers of strangers on the train. He had heard those words before and right now he was meeting that person who said those words first, a patient of a mental hospital.

The public outcry about his father, the rampant gossiping of things that were left behind closed doors. Such a thing was a blessing and a curse. Both victim and perpetrator are defiled by the eyes of the public. For a family headed by the number 2 hero, privacy is a privilege. It is a wonder how his family matters have been kept private for so long that even a fanatic of heroes such as Midoriya was in the dark about his situation. As his thoughts drift to his classmate, as he remembers that face, he forces down his fear.

Ever since he started attending UA, he had been forced to face the uglier sides of himself. Despite the power he possessed, he was both powerless and a coward. How selfish he must be, for the only reason of his visit now after all these years were not for his mother's sake, but to simply absolve some of the swirling feelings inside of him.

He talks to the front desk receptionist and locates the room his mother is kept in. As he walks through the hallways of the mental hospital, as he glances at the patients, he can't help but notice something is wrong. As he opens that door, his mother is in view.

As he works up the courage to look his own mother in the eyes, the figure of his mother melts away in viscous goo and it is then he realizes something is wrong. As he bolts out the hospital room, he hears a shout.

 ***Gah***

Two mental patients with the same face are facing each other.

" If only I wasn't so squeamish about drinking blood."

One of those patients melts away to reveal the naked form of someone Todoroki vaguely knew, Monoma from B-class. At the instant he saw that face, the entire hallway they were in was covered in a thin layer of ice, freezing everything in place, but just like that form of his mother, the form of Monoma melts away. The nightmare continues.

* * *

This was the first field assignment of the Ditto Trio, so of course there would be monitors keeping track of the team's performance from a get-away car. Mr. Compress was waiting in the car and it was not by chance he was the one driving it.

Mr. Compress had worked in the entertainment industry before he had settled in this sort of life, though it could be interpreted that he never left. He had dismissed the students at UA as people who had beliefs hammered into them by others with no ambitions of their own, which was why he was intrigued with one them insisting to join the League of Villains.

Mr. Compress, Kurogiri and Monoma all shared a common love for snazzy clothes. Though they all loved top hats, gloves, vests, tuxedos, canes and fine watches, they couldn't really imagine wearing the same thing.

Choice is important; choice is what separates man from beasts and machines.

Decked out in a smiling mask, top hat, fine overcoat and a cane, he had once tried to grab the essence of what made a " **Phantom Thief** ". With his quirk, he could temporarily compress anything into a marble without damaging it, which is to say, he might have been born for thieving.

Monoma by contrast was decked out in a tuxedo decorated with various fine watches. Unlike or Kurogiri, he chose not hide his face. In the end, isn't that what a **Phantom Thief** should aspire to do, a bold suave gentlemen who stole things in full view while being cheered on my an audience?

He had lent his quirk to Monoma just as Toga and Twice had, for these 5 minutes in which his Copy ability lasts, he was the **Perfect Phantom Thief**. A master of theft, disguise and decoys. Right now, was simply parked in front of the mental hospital anticipating an easy heist without any complications.

「*That place is sure nostalgic. All the vintage Shonen Jump anyone could read.*」

Mr. Compress had to suppress his displeasure of having to bring that weird waitress who works at Kurogiri's bar with them who was currently monopolizing the shotgun seat as an "insurance" policy. From that offhand comment, yes, he could totally imagine that waitress belonging to a mental hospital.

The **Perfect Phantom Thief** had left a public message for Endeavor hoping to make the spiriting away of a spectacle, instead, Endeavor ignored it. To avoid another incident like in Hosu, he used his influence to suppress the media. It seemed that he didn't care too much about his wife who had already bore him what he had wanted and right now the successor Endeavor had wanted was chasing down the Ditto Trio in hot pursuit. As the trio exited the hospital, Todoroki had jumped down several floors, breaking his fall with the ice he could generate and continued to surf on top of it. A chance meeting they did not account for, thus nothing went according to plan despite the operation being a success.

"So this is a son's love huh? Well, I'm certainly not the type to be chased so that has to be it."

Toga had always been a chaser, so this was a different experience.

"Huh!?, What are you saying!? No one chasing you? I would..."

"Enough talking, get in!"

Twice could not finish his sentence as he and Toga were dragged into the getaway car by Monoma as Mr. Compress floored the gas pedal. No one bothered to close the car door to the annoyance of all the other motorists, but good thing they had "insurance" from **All Fiction**.

The 5 minutes of Monoma's quirk were up, and the compressed form of returned to its original state. Their target was literally on their laps. Despite how one would normally react after being kidnapped, Mrs. Todoroki, true to being a literal ice woman, stayed cool. She looked upon the incident with total apathy. Like a piece of furniture, she has gotten used to being moved around by others.

Despite being in a car, Endeavor's "master piece" was gaining on them, but it was then when the car reached 88mph, Kurogiri who was waiting at a nearby café appeared on the road at the designated spot and opened up his " **warp gate** ". The car disappears in a puff of black smoke leaving behind skid marks along the road. Despite usually being cool-headed, Todoroki couldn't help but curse.

* * *

A tired white haired woman watches a recording of the sports festival with her captors in a dimly lit room. Though the extraction of Endeavor's wife was successful, it was illegal and aspiring heroes like Monoma who helped with the operation had to be misled. Toga, who was a serial killer, ironically was more trustworthy around the hostage and with her quirk; she was indispensable in deceiving Monoma by posing as the woman's mother. As far as Monoma knew, he had done a good deed by freeing a woman from her abusive husband. What would happen to Monoma after word gets out that Endeavor's wife was kidnapped was still up in the air.

The ice woman presents no resistance and simply watches the projected recording, the only other source of sound in the room being a pen rubbing against a notebook and incessant muttering coming from that petite curly green haired waitress.

" Of course, Eccrine sweat glands are most numerous on the feet, face, palms and armpits so it's only natural that Kacchan can…."

Toga crashes onto the sofa and breaks the silence out of her boredom. The pen stops.

"So this is what you do in your free time huh, you must really love that wimp…."

「*Wimp? He's one of the coolest people I've ever known!*」

"Of course you wanna be like the one you love. It's natural. You take notes, trying to be like him, but for you I guess, it was out of your reach….I don't really understand your taste, but I love tattered guys reeking in blood, so I can't really judge you."

「I don't really understand it either. Kacchan might just have been a **big fish** in my small pond. His personality was garbage, so I thought it was just the sparks he could make with his hands at first that won me over…..」

A smile blooms on the freckled face. For someone like Midoriya, everyone shines so brightly that they can't help but be blinded by it. Those without light naturally reach out for it.

 **「*** **That's why, I cut off his hands…** ….but he didn't stop being amazing. My feelings did not change, so that meant they weren't shallow.*」

"Well, from what I can see, he has hands…... You're lucky; I can only carve up the ones I love once….."

With a hand on the chest, feeling for that familiar heart beat, trying to make the story that was just said a heartfelt one.

「*Yet, because they didn't change….I wanted to take **everything** back…..and somehow it was like **I never existed** …...*」

To be or not to be, that was the question and the child had chosen **not to be**.

Being projected was a green haired boy with bald spots standing on the podium for second place. That freckled face is mirrored for an instant between reality and the projection, before a fist plants itself into the projected image. As opposed to a TV screen, there was no dramatic cracking of glass and the action could only come off as lame, especially as the one who threw that punch fell over onto the floor ungracefully.

It was there , Mrs. Todoroki felt something.

"Your left side is unsightly," those were 's words as she poured boiling water onto her son's face. She too had wanted to disappear that day.

"Failures", that was the word her husband used to refer to their children that did not inherit the fire and ice quirks in the correct ratio like he had wanted. The fact she bore a child like Shoto, who inherited both their quirks perfectly after only 4 attempts was no small miracle. Endeavor may have been the number 2 hero of this era, but there were others who held that rank before, including one with green curly hair.

" The Tornado of Terror."

「*Yet that boy, born **instead of me** …..born **because of me** … with the **same circumstances** …..seeing him, I can't help but think…...*」 frustration wells up within the smile.

「*I lived my life **All Wrong….**.." was when the laughing transitioned into sobs, tears literally streaming down the freckled face before being comforted by a pair of hands.

Life is a mundane miracle, but as people experience life's displeasures, it is only natural to take that life for granted. A zygote is formed by the union of a single sperm cell and a single egg cell, but while there is 1 egg cell, there are anywhere between 40 million to 1.2 billion sperm cells. The probability of any one individual being born is essentially close to **zero percent** , which is enough for anyone to herald one's birth as a miracle, but by that same token, it is a **curse**. There was always a near **100 percent** chance that someone else would have been born instead, someone more deserving of that **gift of life**.

Whether it was Stockholm Syndrome, sympathy or mere sophistry to soften her guilt as a failed mother, Mrs. Todoroki wrapped her arms around the sobbing figure and said the words that had been said before.

 **"I'm sorry."**

Such were familiar words with no meaning to the inferior fish people called **Zako**.

 **"It's not your fault."**

* * *

" In the case where a human turns into a monster, due to a complex or an obsession on a bad habit, an explosion of frustration caused by a wish to transform or dissatisfied desire causes a sudden transformation starting from an abnormal cell reaction. There have also been many cases of living beings other than humans turning into monsters triggered by things such as pollution. This is a living being reborn as another being, not a limiter being broken."

(Excerpt from **On the Origin of Quirks** by Dr. Genus)

* * *

Iida knew something was up with Todoroki, for he was once the same way not too long ago. There was something clearly wrong if he was storming into the dining area of class 1-B in a way one would only think Bakugo would be capable of. For that reason Iida tailed him.

"Monoma."

The tone used was clearly a threat.

"Does everyone in A-class lack tact? You better not drag the rest of the school down with you."

Just as Todoroki was about to put his hands on Monoma's neck, oversized hands stopped his arms.

"I know his behaviour is less than friendly at times, but I can't condone what you're trying to do right now."

Though the orange haired Kendo was part of the minority of B-class who had no ill-will towards those of A, there still existed a line that A-class should not cross. It was at that moment Iida crossed the line that separated the lunchroom line that separated the classes.

"I apologize on behalf of Todoroki, there is no excuse, but I know he has his own reasoning for doing this," were his words while lowering his head, such was the natural course of action for a class president. Monoma did not stop his attack.

"Everyone has their reasons. Doesn't mean they're good. Just think of Endeavor. Right now…"

"I'm just like him, is that what you wanted me to say?" The threatening tone did not disappear even with Iida's intervention.

"You really do have your father's eyes don't you?"

The vine haired girl in the back of the crowd was contemplating whether to restrain the interloper. She was a grass type, meaning she was double weak against an ice and fire type, but she never needed to as Todoroki calmed down. Public image was important to Monoma and with that line of reasoning; Todoroki forces down his swirling emotions and achieves a sort of balance, carefully forming his next words.

"You're not someone who gets into trouble like us as you say. You're also someone who doesn't do things for no reason. What you did that day, that group you were together with, I want in."

* * *

"So you're eating alone again?"

That was the question Saitama had asked is disciple in the cafeteria. It was a common occurrence. The strong are solitary, is what many like to claim, but that is not the truth. Just like in the jungle, it is natural for living things to avoid the strong to continue on living. In the distance at another table, Uraraka was bothering Bakugo once again.

"So, Deku **eats** katsudon every opportunity he gets...do you have anything to do with that Katsuki?"

"Your brain is clearly rotten, LET ME REPLACE IT FOR YOU."

With fireworks crackling in his hands Bakugo was lit, but fortunately Kirishima was there to serve as a wall to block the inevitable explosion.

 **Boom**

As Saitama eyed to fried pork and rice combo on his disciple's tray, he couldn't help but associate it with the police, but he had long forgotten why.

"Wonder if the police station serves the same food."

Regardless of how wise Saitama-sensei may appear to Izuku, some of the things he says could only be taken as random not unlike that frog girl.

"Saitama-sensei, is there something I can do to make up what I'm lacking?"

"Well, you're still young. People don't finish developing mentally and physically until age 25, at least that's what car insurance companies say. Don't sweat it. You'll have other problems once you get there."

Such were words with no meaning to the one who can't achieve anything people called **Deku**.

As Izuku currently stands, he had infinite strength, but that alone did not guarantee victory. When facing his peers, his power was simply too much, yet when faced with life or death situations, Izuku was still lacking. Even if he himself is invincible, he can never call himself a hero if he can't save all the lives in front of him, regardless of how hard he wanted to be one. To be or not to be, that was the question and the child had chosen **to be**.

The strength he had now had isolated him from his peers, yet he still sought out more for he was born weak.

Such was a madness born from weakness. For someone like Midoriya, everyone shines so brightly that they can't help but be blinded by it. Those without light naturally reach out for it.

* * *

" But he was different. A common birth, a common life, no qualities whatsoever, a simple ordinary person. With effort alone, he pried open the door of his limits and broke his limiter. Seeing the common sense defying strength of someone that had removed their limiter and evolved by themselves….Just remembering makes me laugh at how comical my own ambitions were."

(Excerpt from **On the Origin of Quirks** by Dr. Genus)


	9. Chapter 9: From Zero to Infinity

Chapter 9: From Zero To Infinity

Kacchan was strong. Kacchan was popular. Kacchan had the majority by his side. Kacchan was an asshole. Of those things, only 1 remained true as Bakugo entered UA.

There was only so much he could learn from challenging someone like Saitama who was in an entirely different realm in strength. Fighting Saitama was no different than smashing ones head into a brick wall repeatedly. It didn't matter if Bakugo could muster up more speed, strength or technique, the difference between them did not shrink in the slightest and thus room for learning was limited. One has to learn how to walk before they run.

That screw that pierced him that day, the screw that ended his life, yet did not was an illusion, yet not. He had honed his skills in facing against opponents with undeniable presence, but his experience against the immaterial was lacking. Nothing much happened after the Hosu incident in his internship with Endeavor and he was desperately seeking to find more fulfilling sources of experience. Attacks with infinite speed were one thing, but at least they still followed the rules set by the world with Saitama being the exception. Bakugo was crass and socially inept, someone who actively sought to smash himself against walls until they broke, but he still had a sense to lower his short term goals and focus on the long term. He couldn't spend all his time grinding against Saitama, there was a limited amount of experience that could be gained from fighting someone that dwarfs you completely, so he searched for more manageable walls to grind against.

His explosive flying kick creates a beautiful arc as it simply phases through the image of that man straight out of some Belgian comic book. Mirio, despite still being a high schooler was the one everyone lauded as being the closest to being the number one hero even among the pros, an undeniable, yet immaterial existence. Popping in and out of existence, launching attacks that should not be possible was not outside the realm of plausibility once quirks came into play, even if quirks were supposed to be physical abilities. Even though Bakugo had faced opponents which were untouchable, Mirio though literally untouchable, was more reachable than Saitama-sensei. That plain face with a perpetually jolly demeanor, Saitama had it too.

"You first years are really energetic these days."

Getting into fights with upperclassman was nothing new for Bakugo, whether he started them or not, it was a constant in elementary school. Winning against the odds, making impossible possible, beating the unbeatable, touching the untouchable, seeing the invisible, those were the reasons that the kids his age followed him, Deku being no exception.

"Just who the hell do you think I am!"

Bakugo continued to fight the….

 **Powa!**

* * *

With a reluctant Phantom Thief in front, Shoto eyes the not so secret hideout of the League of Villains. It was hard to miss considering that most of the surrounding buildings were covered in at thick layer of ice, yet this ice wasn't his doing.

Tenya Iida was keen on tailing the two a few days ago and would still be tailing the two if not for a certain phone call from his brother Tensei who had been crippled by Stain.

* * *

Kurogiri's bar was covered in ice with the members of LOV all stuck to various surfaces, with a man with patchwork skin being the exception. With embers in his hand, the Stain sympathizer Dabi grabbed onto the immobile Tomura's neck.

"I was uneasy, but now I'm certain. This organization doesn't have a just cause does it?"

「Ideologies are like art. People always have their own interpretations.」

Despite the searing burn on his neck, Tomura did not show any signs of discomfort. After feeling for his fingers the ice that supported him turned to dust and he fell ungracefully on the floor. He stood back up groggily and treated the whole incident like a chore, even as Dabi ignited his flames and threatened to burn the entire building to ash.

"You're not giving me a convincing reason to let you all live."

「We all just want to destroy the present. That's what **Stain** and I agreed on. 」

Dabi could sense that Tomura was telling the truth, but he could not tell if he was being implicitly dishonest.

「We may have different views on the ultimate outcome, but that doesn't matter. I hate the stupid smiling masses, but I can't deny the strength of a group. 」

"But do we really need to keep that thing around."

Dabi turned his gaze to the green haired waitress who was inexplicably free form the ice was currently hacking away at the ice holding the others in place with a strange looking axe with a heated blade.

 **Heat Hawk**

 **「** ***** If her misery stemmed from her memories, then what I needed to do was obvious. ***** **」**

On that freckled face was a genuine smile with no deceit. What was done was obvious, Dabi could not deny that. The tone of her voice was absent of any form of regret. Dabi continued to stare and the freckled face turned to meet his gaze.

 **「** ***Hey, at least** I'm not a murderer.* **」**

"Someone has to stain themselves with …." Dabi could not finish that quote after some thought.

Twice could not help but to interject into the conversation after picking up on the double standards.

"Still down one M.I.L.F though….. Did a number on us…well…nothing went according to plan….all according to the plan…is that my arm?"

It was fortunate for Twice that his arm was completely numb from the cold that he could not even feel the heated axe cut through it. Kurogiri had to end this farce. For someone whose body of mist, the ice did little to hold him down. Tomura was losing his patience with the situation, scratching his head he gave an order.

「Just hit the undo button.」

Indeed, just like Twice had suggested everything was within the margins of predictability.

A bell rings as the door is opened, with Shoto entering the scene and he isn't sure what to think with Monoma thinking the same. From the surrounding ice and the chatter of the members of LOV, it was obvious that Mrs. Todoroki had escaped under her own power. It was then Monoma realized he had made a huge mistake and Shoto wasn't very pleased.

In the dimly lit bar, illuminated by a small television screen, a live urgent broadcast steals the gazes of everyone present and they are treated to a scene of a castle of ice and snow, towering above the city, on the peak stands a single figure with white hair.

* * *

"All men are not created equal. Some are born prettier than others. Some are born stronger than others. Some are born into poverty and are brought up sick and feeble. In terms of ability, humans are all inherently different from one another," were the words of a white haired woman with a black stained tongue.

The civilians who were simply enjoying a day of shopping met a most unfortunate fate, that fate being death, either from hypothermia or asphyxiation. Winter brings about the end of life, the season where the trees lack leaves and the vegetation is covered in snow, where the animals enter a deep sleep, though in this case right now that sleep is eternal.

Torrents of ice and snow covered the shopping center with no regard for life. Could someone have stopped the mad woman with the ice quirk? Perhaps, quirks were weapons that 80% of the population possessed, but the people did not use them. They all put faith in the age of peace, hoping for a hero to do something, so many of them continued to run away even if it meant trampling on others.

 **"** **The strong live and the weak die."**

The ice that was produced was of a quality and quantity that few could imagine especially considering the person that produced it. The ice Shoto had used during the sports festival could not compare. The ice did not merely bind victims; there was murderous intent behind it. Many were frozen, some stopped breathing and some had already frozen to death. The people were waiting for the hero, even the heroes were waiting, waiting for a hero with a suitable quirk. To beat an ice type, according to a handheld game that children would play, you needed a **fighting type** , a steel type, a rock type or a **fire type**.

Endeavor whose fiery stache which was flickering away with doubt, was in a situation he had never expected. He never expected to face down his wife like this.

* * *

Shoto could only ask a single question regarding his mother, "what did you do to her!?"

The green eyed monster pondered that question in the same way Deku would with that familiar mumbling about with a right hand on the chin and the left hand resting on the right elbow.

「*Hmm, yeah, maybe I messed up. We were watching Akame Ga Kill together and I really wanted to know if an ice quirk could actually freeze time if it was strong enough…,*」

The green haired monster was brimming with unsettling energy and anticipation with both fists clenched at the side. **There was no hesitation, no regret, or uncertainty in that answer.** **It was merely satisfaction of curiosity.**

「* Yah know like **Esdeath**. She would have gotten along with your father just fine!*」

"That's not how time works," was Kurogiri's outcry on the verge of an aneurism.

「*We just didn't have enough **Trigger** is all.* 」

Fortunately, Twice whose injuries were recently undone was present to give an explanation on **Trigger**.

"Twice here with **Trigger** , it's the easiest way to give your quirk an extra punch, whether or not your quirk has anything to do with punching in no time. Trigger is not a placebo; it's an honest to goodness quirk enhancing substance. Simply inject via syringe into bloodstream. Old fashioned training takes time and effort, but with Trigger, just jam it in the arm and your done, saving you time. … **Warning Trigger is a highly addictive mind deteriorating tongue staining drug** ….if only we still had some left to demo. Can time be frozen? Experiment take 2 is a no go."

"Wait, wait, wait, I don't understand what's going on," was Monoma's reaction to the new influx of knowledge. He was trying to deny he had anything to do with what had transpired. Twice wraps his arms around the trembling Monoma trying to reassure him by whispering soothing words into his ear.

"Don't worry, we're all in this together," were words with the intent of clearing Monoma's mind, yet they only acted as shackles. Monoma had been ensnared by LOV, there was no going back. If LOV's criminal activities were to come into light, he would have no future as a hero. He could only stand there as the situation escalated.

 **Fwoom**.

Todoroki who was normally calm lost his patience. He no longer had any reservations using his flames any longer, especially against that green haired monster, yet despite the heat that could melt metal, they had no discernable effect. The image of a carbonized corpse was a mere illusion.

「*Twice now.*」

"Yes," Twice was trying his best not to be ignored.

「*You've killed me two times so far, some hero you are.*」

"Someone like you talking about life…"

「*Life is precious, like an explosion, a flashy amazing fleeting rare thing that gives this boring full of nothing universe meaning, just like quirks.* 」

It was true that his father was an asshole. It was true he hurt his mother. It was true Endeavor was someone who only thought of his own image, yet in the end, his father was still nothing but a man who adhered to the rules of society, thus here were lines he would dare not cross, but Shoto in some ways has already crossed it. There was a limit to the things Endeavor would do.

There were no limits to this green haired thing in front of him would do.

"Well, it's not like your mum remembers you anymore, you're so lucky you get to redo relationships, if I could experience first love again…..," was what Toga said in a not so successful attempt to cheer up Todoroki who was restraining himself from killing everyone present.

Empty minds cling to whatever image they can identify with. If Endeavor and his wife had a terrible relationship that stemmed from a difference in ideals, then they would get along if they possessed the same ideals, right?

* * *

Endeavor was desperately trying to thaw out the victims who were on the verge of death. As a proper hero, the safety of civilians comes first. It is only in the absence of innocence can a hero truly go "all out", but his attempts were futile. Once the white haired woman noticed him, she went for the offensive.

 **Flames/Blizzard of Hell**

The clash of fire and ice caused a tremendous temperature gradient across the ground cracking it. The steam that permeated the entire shopping area only served to cover up the carnage that transpired. To think, that his son and that Bakugo kid had other more urgent plans than interning at his hero agency, but it was understandable. The events regarding Stain had shaken them up recently and he had offered them a break if they were willing to take it.

Hell had frozen over, and the area had not a single living soul but the combatants.

"Quirks are the greatest symbol of inequality. Discrimination, class struggle, competition, war, these things are not wrong; these are catalysts for progress, for evolution. It's this peace that's wrong."

The words were a direct attack on All Might and the world that he had built. The white haired woman was normally a charmer, but the smiling face and that black tongue she was sporting were the farthest things from charming.

"Peace brought forth by a popularity contest. Peace, it's nothing more than waiting, waiting for inevitable death. For you who has come before me, be glad your wait is **over**."

No matter how much Endeavor obsessed over surpassing All Might, no matter how much All Might's existence caused him to despair, Endeavor could not agree with his "wife's" words. Her ice was a lot colder than what he could have possibly imagined. It was clear to him that she was doped up on some sort of drug. This situation was unfathomable to Endeavor.

"WHO DID THIS TO YOU!?"

Endeavor with his burning feet created foot holds on the ice tower his wife had created and he climbed up to reach her. Was he reaching to save her or kill her? That was the question on the minds of the film crew and everyone watching the spectacle on live view.

For a moment, Endeavor was above his wife extending his arms in a deathly embrace. What comes up must come down. The queen was knocked off her tower and Endeavor was trying his best to restrain her as they were sent free falling. From how they were falling and based on Endeavor's size, it was obvious he would hit the ground first. The world around them was spinning upside down, ending with a mighty crash without a sound.

The two who were free falling never touched the ground. Fluttering green strands of hair drift through the air like snow. Deku did not hesitate for his chance to alter fate. As Endeavor was carrying his wife in a bridal carry, Deku was doing the same with Endeavor.

"You better have finished evacuating everyone before you got here!"

"Yes," was Deku's answer, but the short moment of relief was short lived.

 **Crunch**

A spike of ice plunges itself through Endeavor's stomach and was stopped by the immovable object that was Deku. Endeavor endured the pain and there was no inflection in his voice.

"I'll nullify her ice; you find some way to knock her out," were Endeavor's words as blood pooled in his mouth.

For every subsequent appearance of ice, fire would appear to melt it away, but never too much, a perfect equilibrium. Such was a testament to his mastery over the flames of hell. Deku placed him upon the floor trying to figure out a way to deal with Mrs. Todoroki without hurting her.

As Endeavor tried to get up onto his own two feet, he found himself unable to. A damaged spine was a totally valid possibility. His arms lost hold of the one he was trying to restrain. A chilling cold was overtaking him and he was forced to crank up his heat to compensate. He was on the line of life and death.

Every second Mrs. Todorki was awake; Endeavor's chance to survive was shrinking. Deku had already resolved himself for what he might have to do ever since that day at Hosu. He would no longer hesitate, especially witnessing all the scattered corpses he had to run past to get here. Endeavor's grip was slipping; it was no time to be hesitating, so Deku simply slapped the white haired woman away.

 **Slap**

She was sent careening into a wall, her frost bitten fingers coming apart into pieces. The woman had gone beyond her limits. Though Trigger increased a quirk's power, it did not make its limitations go away.

 **Thud**

She was sprawled across the floor like a broken doll with its strings cut. Deku was standing over her wide eyed, unsure what action he should have taken next, but it was in that moment, a voice rings out.

 **"** **What do you think you're doing Midoriya!?"**

Shoto enters the scene through a **haze of black mist** and all he could see was a green haired monster standing over a broken toy that was once his mother. Shoto rockets toward Deku, slamming him into the wall and covering his entire body up to his neck with ice.

"I…I…," were the only words that came out of Deku's mouth.

Shoto frantically checked the condition of his mother. Despite her condition she was still breathing, her core temperature was normal, she would live, Endeavor could guarantee that much. Shoto was trying to be calm in such a situation, but still a question slipped out.

"Why is someone like you even a hero?"

There was no hesitation in Deku's answer.

"I really wanted to know if I could," was the curt answer expected of any disciple of Saitama. **There was no hesitation, no regret, or uncertainty in that answer**.

 **Fwoom**

Todoroki who was normally calm lost his patience. He no longer had any reservations using his flames any longer, yet despite the heat they possessed, they had no discernable effect. The fire only melted the ice that restrained him, even if that fire was launched with nothing but killing intent.

"Todoroki?"

Todoroki turned away; he could no longer tolerate that freckled face, being overcome with a burning hatred that transcended rationality over green monsters that did whatever they wanted.

* * *

 **"Live till Afternoon. Today's topic: What's the allure of LOV?"**

The popularity of LOV was inversely proportional to the approval ratings of heroes and with the recent case regarding Endeavor, Tomura found himself as a guest at a talk show. Whether it was an interrogation in disguise set up by the heroes did not matter. On the stage, surrounded by the audience, Tomura wore no mask and let his face be seen with scars and all. He even wore a snazzy suit courtesy of Kurogiri and fixed up his hair.

"And so, we have Tomura Shigarki today, everyone's favorite Handman, and the enigmatic leader of LOV (League of Villains). We're really grateful to have you today. Please have a seat."

"Now Shigaraki, It seems that your organization LOV is gaining a public following, especially with recent events regarding Endeavor coming into light. As your theatre troupe works a lot of publicity stunts for heroes, you seem to know a lot more than us about the more private lives of heroes. Though there was no evidence for the police to gather, it seemed like you tried to imply that Endeavor was a child murderer, specifically after he dealt with the Hero Killer. With regards to the recent incident involving his wife just a few hours ago, what more can you tell us? "

The tragedy caused by Endeavor's wife could not be overlooked by the masses and the masses could not help but blame Endeavor. The masses had no sympathy, even though the two were currently in critical condition, with one of them suffering from Trigger withdrawal. Endeavor had unfortunately tried to keep the kidnapping of his wife under wraps and the masses could only see the tragedy of an abused woman lashing out. The masses were crying out for Endeavor's death, let alone arrest or retirement. Even if the man could endure, it was uncertain if he still had a future as a public hero.

「Endeavor was too controlling with his methods. I learned that you should never expect things from people, instead put them into situations and let them do what you have come to expect of them. 」

The fact that Endeavor had tried to keep the kidnapping of his own wife and tried to deal with everything in secret had worked out of LOV in the end. The masses did not suspect LOV at all for Mrs. Todoroki's current condition.

"Could you clarify that?"

「Some people are pineapples and some are tomatoes. Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit and wisdom is knowing that it's the only fruit that belongs on a pizza. Pizza is like family, and Endeavor ruined his.」

"Not a big fan of Hawaiian either.…..Family is very important to you it seems. So, looking at your scars, would you say your family life was like young Todoroki's?"

「Family, isn't something as thin as blood.」

"Hohoho, so even some like you has a personal hero I take it?"

「You got it all wrong. 」

"…"

The mug in Tomura's hands dissipates into dust as he tightens his grip, letting his five fingers grasp upon it by complete accident, leaving his hands empty. He stares at those empty hands of his and reminisces.

「When I was in trouble as a child. "The heroes will", "before long the heroes will", everyone said things like that, but truthfully, they were trying to ignore me, brushing me aside, so they could continue smiling like nothing happened. It's not like it's their responsibility, a hero will do something, but by the same measure….. 」

When Tomura was in trouble, when everyone brushed him aside, it wasn't a hero that saved him.

You didn't do anything wrong

 **「** **It's not my fault.** **」**

"I take it you don't like your quirk very much?"

「It did make my life difficult. I had plenty of bad days because of it, but I'm not the only one. I think I came out better than most despite it. 」The masses were positively insane.

"Speaking of bad days and your scars, do you sympathize with Mrs. Todoroki despite what she had done?"

It wasn't his fault he didn't fit in. It wasn't his fault that he was wrong. He wasn't the only one. People like him do not only appear once, but **twice**.

「Maniacs like us have no place they can call home. The people heroes save are always the virtuous people and no one else. I wasn't saved by a hero that day, but I found someone that accepted me, Sensei. If I'm able to useful to those that accepted me for whom I was, then I think I can be happy being who I am. What I was searching for, what we're all searching for are others just as crazy as us. We're all just seeking a place we can belong. 」

Twice, no not just twice, thrice, people like them appeared in every age, even before quirks. Call them madmen, maniacs or minuses, people like them exist, yet this society which champions peace actively seek to destroy people like him, heroes being the means.

「Who made the world that way? 」

All Might, was his answer, but he wouldn't dare say it out loud.

"So you are one of those who think that if "Quirks" did not appear, society would have been better off. This Sensei, who is he?"

「You could say Sensei adopted me; he would be something like a "father". I was a spoilt brat, but that changes when your family expands. Birth Order, maybe? Once you get a "little sister" you naturally become more responsible. You learn to work around the selfishness of others while striving for your goals, like Gachapon.」

"Gachapon?"

「Life is like Gachapon. You can't gain anything unless you give up something in return. You probably won't win, but you won't be left with nothing either. Natural born losers, the weakest of the weakest like us need to assume everything will go wrong and lay out our plans around them.」

Having a high profile son of a pronounced hero joining the ranks of LOV would have been ideal. A son turning away from his corrupt hero father, personally denouncing the true nature of heroes would have made for a good poster boy for LOV, even if that son only did it because we held his mother ransom. They even went through the trouble of All Ficitoning away **Ingenium** 's injuries so he could walk again, just so his little brother wouldn't have tailed the two faced kid this week. He wondered how he should have repaid Monoma for that little tidbit, considering he was having an existential crisis. Anyways, that plan was a failure, since their hostage escaped and went mad, but that didn't matter, things were still going in their favor precisely because their hostage went on a rampage.

「Those people called winners, I find them all delusional. They act like everything is fine, that there isn't something simply wrong or strange in this world of ours, as if tragedies don't happen. They break down when things don't go their way and hopefully they come to see the world as it is like us.」

Right now, the pillar that was the number 2 hero was broken both in body and public perception, so it didn't matter that two faced brat walked out on them. It didn't matter that Kurogiri let him escape with his "warp gate". The stupid masses were listening intently to someone like him on live television, from Yakuza bosses like **Overhaul** to little kids like **Kouta**.

Right before he accepted to do this talk show, **Overhaul** had approached him for funding. It seemed that the yakuza, relics of the past have a hard time finding investors of all things. Well, their entire Trigger supply was pumped into that white haired woman recently, so it was convenient **Overhaul** was offering them a deal. LOV was a household name at this point and they weren't short on cash from all those paid publicity stunts they pulled that may or may not have subtly pushed their message.

To think that even little kids look up to him and were thrilled into shaking hands with him, he couldn't contain his infectious smile. LOV had done a terrible thing and they were getting rewarded for it, but isn't that how the world works? Isn't that how the world has always worked? This world of theirs was a funny thing; he had to hold back the laughter.

"Do you really consider yourself a natural born loser if you can smile like that?"

 **「** **The ones who can keep on smiling are the weakest in this world after all.** **」**

* * *

 **"** **The ones who can keep on smiling are the strongest in this world after all,"** were the words etched into All Might's heart by his predecessor, so he couldn't help but spit out the udon he was eating while passively listening to the diner's central television. He was originally supposed to meet up with his recommended planned successor and oversee his training, but Mirio was sidetracked by young Bakugo of all people. Now the four of them, All Might, Mirio, Bakugo and Saitama were having udon at a local diner.

Bakugo had his eye on the emancipated looking man, but quickly dismissed him. He still owed Saitama a meal when he had forgotten his wallet at the supermarket that one time. Young Midoriya was going to join them once the police questioning was over. It appeared that something really dire had happened again during the internship with Endeavor and Bakugo seemed to be peeved that he had missed it.


	10. Chapter 10: Recap with Sensei?

Chapter 10: Recap With Sensei

A landscape covered in ice, a plethora of citizens forced to wait for their inevitable demises, yet that fate was overturned when that boy appeared.

As Endeavor rushed towards the problems source, that boy was entirely focused on freeing everyone that came his way with unfathomable speed. Ice would be shattered and turned into snow to be carried away by the wind of his blows. The boy had an odd ability outside his incredible strength. If you were blessed enough to gaze upon him, your safety was all but guaranteed, yet that boy still agonized. Such feats may have been acceptable for any other hero that came to terms with their limits, but not that boy who didn't believe in limits.

For everyone he freed he had something that could be considered a bad habit. Despite his blistering speed, he would always slow down to check upon the condition of all those he saved.

 **"** **Thank You!" "My hero!"**

Gratitude was genuine with tears rolling down the eyes of those her carried in his arms, but everything changed as he walked down the halls of the hospital in which Endeavor had been admitted to.

 **"** **Why weren't you quicker?! I LOST MY FINGERS TO FROSTBITE BECAUSE OF YOU."**

A single disgruntled voice from the masses he had saved merely questioned why he didn't do more with the power he had possessed. It would have been reasonable for him to ignore those words, but he refused to give in holding steadfast to those feelings of wanting to save people.

" You may find your emotions grow distant. You may forget why you wanted to be a hero in the first place."

Though his heart felt like it would break, the boy continued on with a smile which was not lost on **the "King of Night"** who was ever watchful.

* * *

Jirou, aka Headphone Jack was on patrol with Desutogoro for her internship and she was surprised at what she had come across on the street.

 **"** **LOV Blood Drive for the Victims of Wookiees"** was an eye catching banner. The League of Villains was quick to act in the face of the tragedy that only those glued to their phones would notice. In the middle of the closed off street was something of a spectacle.

 **Endeavor Vs Vlad King**

Dodging a whip composed of blood; Endeavor closed the distance and aimed his fist at his opponents face while letting off a stream of fire. The crowd reacted with a barrage of booing.

 **Hell Flame?**

The stream was dodged by a hair's breath, but it did not pack the same sort of punch expected of Endeavor, until something in the distance could be seen burning.

Witnessing the fight, Desutogoro had one thing to say, "That's not Endeavor."

Jirou was taken a back, but by eavesdropping on those lining up to donate she understood the short version of what had transpired a few hours ago. Looking closely, the fake Endeavor sported two miniaturized flame throwers on his wrists. When the flames weren't large enough, a stage hand with patch work skin would add to it with an actual fire based quirk. Hiding his face with a cap, the man with patchwork skin was clearly conflicted with something.

" How can any of this be Stain's will, Shigaraki?!"

 **「** You see those orphans? The victims of our little tragedy? They'll make fine heroes and villains in the next. Start tragedies, create victims, save them, inspire them and feed them back into the system. It's a perfectly logical system where tragedy never ends and neither does **conviction**. Heroes are a valuable commodity in troubled times, but in peace, they're just fakes who smile for the camera. That's why All Might and this peace have to go. We will take back what it means to be a **hero**. **」**

The other stagehand of LOV that resembled an iguana was always present trying to reassure him of something, a nostalgic camaraderie which Jirou could sympathize with. The League of Villains (LOV) was the organization that was hired for that live drill exercise Jirou partook in near the start of the year at UA she recalls. Still, it was unthinkable that a circus troupe would have so many capable members and so many willing to risk getting injured. Truly they were fanatics of a sort, but the same could be said of her classmates at UA. LOV and UA seemed to have a good relationship considering the homeroom teacher of Class-B was participating in this event, even if that was the farthest thing from the truth.

In truth, Vlad King was using the opportunity of the blood drive to conduct a quick investigation for the rest of the UA faculty as the opportunity presented itself. The teachers of UA had known that the threats at the lives of Class-A that day was real, but not the students. When one of his students, Monoma had called him out of the blue, he felt like he had to act when he picked up to the interrupted call tone. When he questioned the other students of the class by phone, the League of Villains came up. The attack on the Unforeseen Simulation Joint (USJ) by LoV was passed off as a training exercise to maintain the public trust in the hero system, but it had the unforeseen consequence of painting LoV as something other than what they were to the public and even to UA students who believed it to be a sort of theatre troupe. The time lag between this blood drive and the tragedy at Wookies was simply too short. It wasn't a matter of being diligent, LoV was obviously pulling some strings behind the scenes, but considering how one of his students was ensnared as a volunteer, he wasn't sure if those running this event today were unknowing victims as well.

Public use of quirks is illegal unless one possesses a hero license or is supervised by a licensed hero. That was why theatre troupes like LOV had to partner themselves with hero agencies when conducting publicity stunts. The supervising hero of today's blood drive was **Ingenium** of all people, though it shouldn't be surprising based on Ingenium's ideals. As someone who prided himself on saving people as quickly as possible during disasters and being hospitalized himself just recently, his motivations were easy to read. Yet, something was off; he could have sworn he was permanently crippled by **Stain** based on what he heard from the news and his little brother's behavior at school. Ingenium decked out in his white armor minus the helmet, Tensei's face could be seen, so the Ingenium supervising this event was probably genuine. Maybe the media had simply overblown the extent of his injuries. As he looked at the stage hands, the one with patch work skin and the other like a reptile, it was clear that they did not approve of Ingenium, but his thoughts were cut short as a stream of flames nearly misses his face.

Ducking underneath "Endeavor", condensing blood into a single point, a crimson bullet is fired with considerable force into the stomach.

 **「** ***Ganta Gun!*** **」** , was what someone running the tent had screamed.

In a splash of liquid, the disguise is undone, revealing the naked figure of a blonde girl with hair buns that must have been around the same age as his students. The males who were lining up to give blood were already leaking it through their noses at this point, but the feast for their eyes was soon replaced by a doppelganger of the Vlad King when the girl licked what she had been shot with.

" She turned into me?"

"It's awkward if you keep staring."

"I am deeply sorry," was what Vlad King apologized with today to the girl as he quickly turned his face to the side. Such an apology would eventually be repeated to his co-workers sometime in the future for not being able to see the obvious intent behind today's event. He would curse his eyes for not focusing on the face.

As he looked into the tent, he spotted a girl with an uncanny resemblance to a certain runner up in the recent UA Sports Festival and an old doctor who was speaking on the phone. A man in what could be called a gimp suit was meticulously taking pictures of each of the blood donors as well as taking body measurements to determine what size of commemorative T-shirt they would be taking home.

/*What is it doctor?*/

"Do I really have to be doing this?"

/*Young Tomura's scheme needed a licensed medical professional.*/

The doctor understood what Shigaraki was trying to do with **「** **Skill** Grinding **」** **.** Even if the doctor understood, there was still one thing that bothered him.

"Do I really have to sit next to the little **demon**?"

/*I didn't know you were a man of faith.*/

* * *

As the threats to "evil" were ever growing stronger, All For One needed to cultivate his successor further and faster. All Might already had cheated, getting a good successor pre-cultivated by his allies. Still, the orphan originally named "Tenko" that he took in was born twisted from the start, so there was no doubt he would rise to the occasion. By introducing him to Stain, whose ideals grated on Tomura the wrong way, his successor would grow ever more independent, just as with the case of introducing him to the "demon" even if that resulted in his ridiculous way of speech. For Tomura to take the helm as the head of the family known as the **League of Villains** , he needed to realize his **convictions.**

Being able to scavenge plans gone awry and take advantage of such opportunities were crucial for Tomura to become the next him. His direct attack on the number one hero failed and for that reason he decided to attack the number two hero indirectly. Kidnapping Endeavor's wife and making use of an aspiring hero as an unwitting accomplice showed that he was maturing. Even though the hostage escaped, being under "demonic" influence, his successor quickly saw an opportunity to recoup his losses. Endeavor's image as a hero had already been destroyed, so it wouldn't be hard to guess the public reaction. Individuals may be smart, but groups can be stupid, being swayed with the flow of the times. All For One still remembers the day of his defeat, on how the whole world that he had rebuilt from the ashes seemed to turn against him as they were swayed by a symbol.

Collecting blood samples would exponentially increase the usefulness of that Toga girl whose quirk allowed her to disguise herself as anyone whose blood she digests. Allowing Twice to take measurements during the blood drive event would invariably increase the number of useful doubles to be used as decoys. Such doubles could be even more useful if the will of the original could be stripped away, but the "demon" could not be counted to do such things effectively as evidenced with Endeavor's wife. Even with power to turn anything to nothing, Zako was inferior to Deku who possessed infinite power in All For One's eyes. A useless thing that could not visualize victory. A playful defeatist that did everything at her own pace without regard to the concept of victory and probably worked to sabotage the efforts of others so they could not obtain it. He fears for Tomura's future as long as he keeps that thing around. As evidenced with the wife of Endeavor, turning someone's memories into **nothing** was not enough to get them to follow orders even if combined with **image training**. AFO wonders if Tomura's next plan of action would involve that hypocrite from the Sports Festival.

Ever since he was crippled by All Might, All For One had accepted his own humanity. The more he watched the bald figure, the more he accepted his place in the world. No matter how long he lives, becoming equal to that bald figure that stands on the very top was a delusion, **for what was a man before a literal god?** He had spent his entire life carving out order, to quell the disorder caused by the appearance of quirks, yet this world refused to be orderly with mysterious beings and the Caped Baldy running around. He acknowledged that the world was full of contradictions. He had accepted long ago that there were things he could not change with his own power, which is why he had to entrust. Entrust his goals to a successor and his gang of problem children. To have faith that those problem children would destroy the order All Might had desperately tried to create on top of the corpses of his comrades. For all the despair All Might caused him, he wanted him to feel the same despair he had. AFO could not allow someone else to enjoy something he himself could never obtain, especially for someone who followed that foolish woman who was only ever about her ideals and drowned to death in them.

As All For One stares at a computer monitor depicting the scalp of the " **Sun** ", he ponders.

/*What thoughts are running through your mind? */

* * *

" Using his hair as a placebo? He's just flaunting it isn't he."

That was Saitama's only thought as he eavesdropped into the "secret" conversation All Might was having with the successor principal Nedzu and his former side kick had recommended for him.

"That's why we're eating udon. Just pretend it's a thin noodle."

"I get why Sir is such a big fan with that sense of humor of yours."

Saitama rubs his scalp agonizing over the relationship between hair and power. Even though it's natural for an old man to be bald, he still envied a full head of hair. For all those years he has lived, he had forgotten the sensation. It was like he never had hair on his head at all. The sensation of running his fingers through his hair, the things he would do to experience it. His beard which served to hide the wrinkles he may or may not have actually possessed did not count. Would he still look like an old man if he shaved it? But alas, his facial hair proved to be as resilient as any other part of his body.

Saitama murmurs to no one in particular, "could my beard be weaved into body armor?"

"My costume is made from my hair," was what Mirio responded with without reading Saitama's mood.

" You're flaunting it too. ***** it all, surrounded by all these beautiful golden locks…"

Lost in thought after making such a remark Lemillion had completely forgot about the strand of hair All Might had tried goading him into eating hidden away under the noodles of udon. How his **permeation** quirk handles food being partially digested by his body is not something people are keen on thinking about Saitama included. It was for that reason Saitama decided to leave once he saw the boy gagging. He should have left half an hour ago with the perpetually constipated brat.

"I'm out….."

All Might quickly assumed that something he did was at fault.

"The disciple of my sidekick is also my disciple. Did he take offense to that?"

Even though All Might's health was declining, he saw Saitama-sensei as a kindred spirit. Behind the beard, perpetually making the same face the young Kaminari gets whenever he electrocutes himself, Saitama-sensei must have been suffering from some sort of health problem just as he was. Leaving the diner, Saitama decided to seek out his no show disciple.

" So where was that hospital?"

* * *

His father was more imposing in his memories, Shoto could recall, that is why he couldn't fathom the weak figure splayed across the hospital bed. The man obsessed with his rank and surpassing All Might never cared for his mother's well being, but now he rests on the hospital bed because he refused to harm her.

"Some like you….I don't understand at all. What are you?"

For Endeavor, his son's question was stupid.

"Isn't it obvious….. I'm a hero."

Regardless of how Endeavor may act, he was still a man who willingly chose to become a hero. Regardless of an individual hero's intentions and goals, a hero's job built on the concept of self-sacrifice, so what he had done was a matter of course. He was a hero regardless of how the public may have perceived him or how they will perceive him now on. Clattering steps without semblance of order could be heard outside in the hallway.

 **Knock! Knock!**

It seems a rambunctious bunch have gathered outside spurred on by the recent news.


	11. Chapter 11: Where's the Worth?

Chapter 11: Where's the Worth?

Once he left the hospital, the sun had already set. With the memory of the bed ridden Endeavor and that police interrogation behind him Deku had started his trip to that udon place Saitama-sensei promised to treat him to, but it was then he got side tracked. A few intersections from the hospital Endeavor was staying at the banner that read **"LOV Blood Drive for the Victims of Wookiees"** was awfully hard to miss even in the absence of day light.

"The League of Villains."

In the distance he saw some familiar and unfamiliar faces, including one that was like his own in a maid outfit, sitting beside a very familiar looking doctor under a tent. Deku could also see someone with the resemblance to Iida, yet knowing what happened to Tensei, he was doubtful of that person being the genuine Ingenium. There was also someone with patch work skin, someone reptilian, a blonde girl with hair buns and a man in a gimp suit, but Deku accepted it all as natural, because that's the quirky world he lives in. It seemed like they were running a blood drive earlier, but now were packing up.

As he approached the stand, the blonde girl casually walks towards him to poke him with a knife and he casually lets it happen. Toga's blade shatters on contact.

"So you really don't bleed?"

The blonde girl breaks into a grin as her heart starts beating faster and faster. Twice nods in agreement.

"The allure of what you don't see. Like the boundary between skirt and thigh. Lace, stripes, strings or commando?! The answer is irrelevant compared to the mystery," was what the man in the gimp suit was saying while leaning over to the side in an awkward manner with his fingers forming a frame.

"Jin….."

With that utterance, "Jin" straightens himself out and pretends to cough and Toga's attention is diverted away.

Coming to terms with the fact that nothing in this world can truly hurt him, Deku was no longer as skittish as he once was. When it came to his own well being, his senses were absolutely dull. His gaze was fixed upon the oddly otherworldly spectacle that shouldn't have been so otherworldly considering he knows Mineta, but it was in that instant there was a sound.

 **snip**

「*Two antennas don't suit you; at most you should have one. *」

One of the green protrusions of his mask inspired by All Might's characteristic blonde "V" was snipped off with a smile as arms are wrapped around his neck, whispering into his right ear.

「* A Zaku can never be a Gundam no matter how much it emulates it.*」

Ingenium was taken aback by what just had happened. The blonde girl coming at the boy with a toy knife as a practical joke was one thing, but what happened next was something else. The girl that fixed his legs was someone with absolutely no presence that could be missed if one blinked, yet as Ingenium looked towards the supposed siblings, he could feel something off from his personal experience as an older brother, something unsettling. Though the faces have an unsettling resemblance, their appearances were on opposite spectrums. The smiling maid with the messy pony tail calculated her appearance with the obvious intent to pander to the lowest common denominator while following public decency laws to the letter and the tense looking boy simply didn't give a duck.

 _"_ _Those bald patches…..,_ " caused Ingenium's own scalp to scream. That head was simply painful to look at like a neglected lawn. Upon seeing the tension between the two, Ingenium had no choice but to ask,

"Is everything all right?"

"We're fine."

Ingenium had accepted those words even if the tone was seemed off. Family was family; even he didn't always get along with his little brother, but even so he loved that robot. Ingenium whose instincts had been honed by his work as a hero was more unsettled by the malicious gazes that were still trained on him. Gazes he could feel all throughout the Blood Drive event.

 **Buzz Buzz**

It was in that instant, Ingenium receives an urgent phone call.

 **"** **A fire…..."**

The sun had set and the blood drive was packing up, his supervision was no longer required. Ingenium leaves the vicinity, while calling any nearby interns to aid them. To save people as quickly as possible was Ingenium's ideal after all. As opposed to his little brother, Tensei was always one who had faith in people over rules and like the vigilantes he occasionally overlooks, he left LoV, his benefactors to their own devices.

Dabi and Spinner repressed their feelings towards the fake that Stain had targeted. Still, having a cooperative hero who wouldn't pry too deeply about LOV's plans was a considerable asset considering the debt Ingenium owes. Now that he was gone, they didn't need to put on an act.

Everyone is restricted by a set of rules, regardless of what power they possess. To maintain their life as it is, people must not stray from the path. Deku was no exception. Without a hero license or supervising hero and only conjecture, there wasn't much he could do despite his power.

"…..Aren't you guys a little quick with the blood drive? An extensive information network I presume?"

Deku still remembers his first encounter with LoV at USJ and their noumu. The fact that his doppelganger was carried away by a winged noumu at Hosu gave away her affiliation. The black mist that allowed the attack on the Unforeseen Simulation Joint (USJ) was also present when Todoroki appeared at the end of the Wookies Incident. As such, it wasn't wrong to think that LoV played a huge role in the tragedy and that the blood drive they are so conveniently holding for the victims of that tragedy was part of a bigger scheme. It was unfortunate that Todorki was withholding information.

「* I could never understand those pluses…. being born with such awesome quirks …yet frowning more than smiling…..…but she smiled in the end didn't she?*」

"That fake accent is distracting. I know you can speak normally."

「* How mean *sobs*, you never say anything about Uraraka's.*」

Uraraka was obviously self-conscious about her natural accent, always trying to sound more like an urbanite and for that reason; Deku saw no reason to pry. The fact that his doppelganger has such knowledge of his classmates confirmed his suspicions on LoV having access to some hidden information network or surveillance system. There was always something suspicious about them dropping by in such quantity just as class was about to start at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint field trip. Deku had always suspected that the teachers were trying to cover up something.

The other possible explanation was that his doppelganger watched the Sports Festival religiously like he did. The only footage of Uraraka released to the public was limited to the broadcast on the recent UA Sports Festival. It was in that moment that Deku himself felt a little guilty about making so many notes on his friends and classmates. It was irrefutably creepy if one views it objectively.

Kacchan's death, his friend's injuries and that girl's own death at Hosu, they were all undone, either all those events were an illusion, or his doppelganger possessed an ability to tamper with causality. Considering Iida's older brother was up and about supervising this particular blood drive out of the blue a little while ago, it was probably the latter. Ingenium was simply repaying a favor in his mind, unknowing that he had taken something more akin to a bribe.

Throwing out red herrings and keeping its true nature under wraps wasn't anything too uncommon in the hero industry and the greatest example would be All Might who always dodges the question with a joke during interviews. From the odd axe that resembled a prop, the one he was facing was a nerd who was big on out of place references. For all the analyses fanboys like him perform on quirks, government census data on quirks is iffy. He was diagnosed as quirkless when he was young, but UA still let him take the entrance exam, even though the occupation of "hero" is really just "licensed quirk user" who worked in the civil service if you really break it down, but that wasn't important right now.

 _"_ _A sibling with a quirk different from mom, dad and mine.…noumu who possess more than one…..someone with the ability to redistribute quirks….that isn't outside the realm of possibility."_

Deku's mumbling wasn't very silent, the tension in the air gets tenser and to the side, Deku sees a familiar doctor. The doctor was the same one who diagnosed his quirklessness coincidently, the grandfather of Tsubasa, Tsubasa being the winged kid that used to hang out with him and Kacchan when they were small. Deku shifts his head to the side to see a winged noumu watching over them from the rooftop of a nearby building.

 _"_ _Tsubasa?"_ was what Deku had mumbled as his eyes widened which was not lost to the doctor whose thick glasses obscured the windows to his soul. The doctor does not respond, but his doppelganger does with familiar enthusiasm.

「* Isn't he so much cooler than before! He was so short and fat, now he's so tall and…*」

"What are people to you?"

「*People? People? _*counting fingers*_ Kacchan is people… Nedzu is people…. *」

Principal Nedzu wasn't human, he was an animal with a quirk that gave him super intelligence and that is why society viewed him as a person. The mirrored face pulls towards him and whispers something malicious into his ear.

「*How did you become "people"? How can I become "people"? What's the difference between you and I?*」

"What's the difference? ….. You I can't understand…"

The doppelganger drops the artificial tone for an accusing one.

"You lie…..you must understand….because for you and I…it all started with All Might …."

All Might was someone of worth. When he saw that smile when he was small, he was convinced he wanted be like him, at that time, it was simply child-like admiration, yet it became something else when he grew older. When he discovered he was quirkless, that desire grew even stronger, not weaker, more desperate, because he realized he truly was **nothing**. He was nothing special, he didn't matter to the world in the slightest, he was simply **nothing** compared to everyone else he knew and that's why he had clung to his dream to become **something** , he had to become a hero no matter what.

 **For if the lives of others have worth; the hero who saves everyone must have undeniable worth.**

Even if it was just sophistry to prove he had worth, he continued to strive to be the ideal hero like All Might with single-minded focus. All Might wanted a world where everyone could live their lives smiling, to do that, he became a pillar. Deku wanted to become a hero, to do that, he strived to preserve the smiles of everyone. Superficially the same, but the priorities were reversed. His altruism may not have been genuine.

 _"_ _That motivation junk has nothing to do with anything."_

Saitama-sensei's words resurface and Deku gains momentum in his thoughts.

"A Zaku and a Gundam are still both mobile suits…."

Deku was not All Might; even so he did not give up his pursuit, denying his own worthlessness with everything he had, he had become a hero. That's what made him different from his doppelganger that embraced that worthlessness and had fallen to the level of a monster, a monster that did not believe in oneself.

"You gave up. You accepted that you were nothing who wouldn't amount to anything. Even if I understand, I don't agree with you. I am not you and you are not me either…. I'll become a hero that **saves everyone**!"

It is now that Deku understands those words of All Might all those years ago in that old broadcast in an old childhood memory.

 _"_ _Only you can choose to become a hero, not anyone else."_

It was not a lie. The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. His path wasn't wrong.

 ***Splat***

Deku threw his doppelganger over his shoulder, slamming her into the ground breaking every bone. The floor is fine except for the splatter of blood. Though Deku was not a murderer and was completely averse to the idea of killing, that didn't mean he wouldn't harm others if they deserved it.

It is what one does with life that determines what they are, but in the face of that, his doppelganger kept laughing.

「*Hehehahaha! Gave up? So you really weren't lying…..you don't get it at all… **save everyone**? Aren't you going to **hurt everyone here? Mother Fister?*** 」

Deku steels his mind, ignoring the contradiction. He had hurt Todoroki's mother and now he was droning on about saving everyone. It was nothing more than hubris. Even so, Deku did not stop.

"You're just spouting nonsense right now….."

The casual atmosphere had evaporated in a single moment. All the members of LoV became hostile. The flying noumu descends from the nearby building.

 **A hero only saves the people they side with, the worthy.** The unworthy, the villains that don't fit the mold, who were born wrong or harbored incorrect beliefs that obstruct the happiness of others have to be sacrificed for the sake of everyone else. His doppelganger forces out words despite the broken ribs as she is smiling.

「*I just…. want a world where everyone can live smiling….. **even if they weren't born right**.* 」

"If you're trying to make life difficult….even if you're a bit cute…..especially if you're a bit cute….. then you should be expecting **trouble** ," Toga starts with grin as Twice continues, "If you mess with the place where we belong, then make it **double** …"

Twice looks around and realizes they were missing the Phantom Thief boy from class B, who was currently being re-educated by Miss Magne, while Toga eyes for any alternatives to knives. Her favorite had shattered on contact with Deku's skin and she dismisses the idea of using that heated axe that cauterized wounds. Even if Zako had the same face, Toga really wanted to see Deku's bloodied form and the blood of others staining him did not count.

The man with patchwork skin loses his patience and interjects, "enough with the farce. Hero? Should a hero really be smiling right now?"

Deku was smiling while covered in blood that was not his own. Right now, especially with his patchwork scalp and blood stained clothes, he didn't quite embody the ideal hero right now. With him alone with no one to save, he couldn't really act up to his words. Even so, he continued to smile to convince himself of his path.

The man with patch work skin takes a T-shirt they were giving away for free off of the table. Cheap commemorative T-shirts that merchants hand unceremoniously dumped after the recent incident at Wookies repurposed with red paint for the Blood Drive by LoV. T-shirts with Endeavor's face crossed out sloppily in red just like blood. It wasn't hard to figure out what was being implied.

 **"** It's hard to call you that when you should have **saved him first."**

Without Ingenium around, Spinner let's his feelings out, "That's what Stain would have said!"

Hospitals were where the wounded were treated, but that didn't mean they were safe. The bad press Endeavor received would inevitably attract some fanatics, but Deku continued to respond with a cocky grin.

"I have nothing to fear, because Saitama-sensei will be there…"

* * *

"Move it old man!"

The bald old man obstructs the doorway to Endeavors room not moving an inch even as he's punched, stabbed, shot at, cut or burnt, but it's not like those things actually hurt him judging by his unchanging expression.

"People shouldn't be jumping to conclusions so quickly."

"Give them back…," was what a tall buzz cut boy had said.

The tall one with the buzz cut accelerates with a large **gale** behind his back, trying to force through, but Saitama was an immovable object. Nudging his head through a gap, his eyes enveloped in tears are trained on Endeavor.

"…Return them…mom…Mora…everyone else…...I respected you…I admired you…..but you…but."

Despite those words, Endeavor continues to eye him coldly, even in his injured state. Shoto wasn't sure how to react. Saitama gives a gentle push, the boy falls onto the floor with a heavy **thump.**

"Old man, outta the way! Why are you harboring that **worthless** monster?!"

"There are many monsters in this world, but he isn't one of them," as Saitama gives a disapproving stare to the vigilante group that had gathered to wail on a single hospital patient. "Vigilante" may be a little inaccurate considering the school uniforms they wore belonged to Shiketsu High, another hero school like UA.

"You think you're a hero?! What you're doing right now can't be called very heroic!"

"The ones who oppose monsters are called heroes, alone if necessary. Aren't you the one confusing the roles?"

The buzz cut boy contemplates those words for a while, but before he can decide on his next action, he puffs up into a **meatball** as another student presumably from the same school rushes into the hallway. The buzz cut boy howls out.

"Seiji!"

"Did you forget what dignity was? Acting with class befitting with one's institution…," says a boy with slanted eyes presumably named Seiji with the power to manipulate flesh.

"I apologize on behalf of Shinketsu high," is what the newcomer tells Saitama.

"His…behavior isn't representative of our entire student body," as Seiji gets on his knees and puts his head on the floor, performing a flawless dogeza.

Inasa who was having trouble standing and breathing forced out his words, "….…...Did you follow me….. just to stop me?"

"Inasa, Endeavor may not have dignity, but we still have to uphold the dignity of our schoo…."

At the end of that sentence, Seiji is restrained by his classmates, taking advantage of his kneeling form.

"This isn't the time for…..!"

Before they could do anything else, they could feel it, everyone could feel it. For a moment, it was as if they all had died. All eyes turned their gaze to the old bald man in yellow by the door whose eyes shifted slightly.

"As long as I'm here, **I'm not letting this escalate beyond a school yard scuffle**."

Everyone was paralyzed by his presence and Endeavor was especially surprised. It was something he felt from Stain, it was also something he felt from All Might, yet this was of a completely higher level altogether. Endeavor was certain that his heart had stopped, and it did for the students who came to see him regardless of intent. It was only because he was facing that man's back that his heart was still beating.

Shoto was also taken aback. This was the man that personally trained Midoriya, but he never really paid any heed to what the plain looking teacher could really do. Besides his scuffles with Bakugo during lunch hour, Shoto didn't really know the extent of the old man's abilities besides his great speed, but from that suffocating presence, the old man being the master of Midoriya was no joke. The old bald man's stern face was absolutely terrifying; Shoto did not have to actually see it to know that fact from how the people outside had inexplicably passed out. The old man was unbearably terrifying when he wanted to be. The stern face that could kill with but a stare breaks out into an awkward terrified panic.

"…Sorry!"

Saitama scrambles over what he should do next and resigns himself to what he must do.

 **Serious Series Serious CPR**

In an instant, those who had their hearts stopped were revived. Endeavor can't help but wonder, "that speed?!" It was fortunate that Saitama was so quick that no one could really see what he had done. They didn't see the old man move, all they could see was that he had produced a handkerchief from somewhere and he was wiping his mouth vigorously with it.

From Endeavor's experience, even if his eyes couldn't follow, he could tell what had happened from pure intuition. It was obvious from that speed that the unbearable pressure capable of stopping hearts was no quirk, but pure presence that dwarfs even All Might's by an immeasurable margin.

 _"_ _Were the rumors true?"_

Endeavor had always believed those old internet rumors to be a joke, an old folk tale that the yakuza and other outdated criminal organizations spread around, but witnessing this living **Deus Ex Machina** , he wasn't so sure anymore. He recalls that the boy who had potential to become the next All Might, the boy who had saved him recently, held this man in high regard if those words at the end of the Sports Festival were true.

Against All Might, the boy and especially this old man, Endeavor was absolutely nothing compared to them. He had accepted it long ago, but now the fact rears its head once again. Some people were simply better and no amount of work or effort would change that. His son's chance was no better. Becoming the number one hero was always a misguided delusion right from the start.

"….It was all **worthless** wasn't it….right from the start…wasn't it?..."

The despair he bottled up game gushing out. Inasa who was just now recovering could hear it.

"I used to think, I used to think that if I just worked harder, 3 or 4 times harder, it would pay off, but I am no match for All Might at all….….it always end the same…..I would always be staring at his back…..and now I realize there are others just like him….even my rank as number 2 is a sham isn't it?!"

Endeavor was crying. Having faced Midoriya before, Shoto could understand even though he didn't want to. Inasa was infuriated at the sight, rushing to the doorway once again, even he started crying.

"….Was the hero I once admired, was that hot spirit _always a lie_!"

"….That's right…..I'm second rate…. and I will always be SECOND RATE!"

 **"Yeah** **, you are second rate."**

"…"

Saitama was not pulling any punches. Though stern in his tone, there was not a speck of arrogance to be found.

 **"** **How could you be the number one hero everyone believes in when you don't even believe in yourself?"**

For a while, the whole room becomes quiet. Everyone was silent, until the silence was broken as the embers on Endeavor's face reignite.

"…..What do you know!? ….Being born strong, born special, just like All Might!"

 **"** **Strong? Special? Being the greatest hero isn't just about being strong…... All Might's strength isn't anything special…."**

Endeavor did not want to hear such words. He kept mumbling, stumbling to deny those words. That loss of composure, the long string of words, Saitama zones out as he regrets ever opening his mouth. It was unfortunate for Saitama that not everyone was receptive of his advice. That was what it meant to be too strong and to live in a world different from everyone else.

 _"_ _Just worked harder 3 or 4 times harder, "_ were the words Shoto was rewinding in his head.

Though Saitama's words only served to trigger Endeavor, the exchange left an impression on Shoto.

Shoto once believed he could become the number one hero even with half his power, but now he knew that was flawed. Despite his father's faults, his work ethic wasn't one of them. After facing the truly strong, Shoto knew his thinking was unbearably arrogant. The world was large; there were many monsters within it, strong monsters he would have to face, alone if necessary. That freckled face comes into view. The title of _number one hero_ did not matter. It was only something insignificant his father had tripped over. Looking at Saitama-sensei, Shoto could only come to conclude that rankings were completely meaningless. Looking at his father, he had come to terms with his own insecurities.

 _"_ _I still don't forgive him…..for what he has done….but If I don't give it my all as a hero, then I can't help but think I lost to him."_

* * *

Tomura watches the burning hero agency from a faraway building with a smile as the entire street is set ablaze through a pair of binoculars. The hero known for flames has his hero agency burning down.

「Wonder if his insurance company will cover this?」

He eyes the group responsible; probably some vigilantes while breaking into laughter, sporting the same T-shirts his motley crew gave away at the Blood Drive being chased away by Ingenium. Tomura needed a good laugh, after his meeting with Overhaul went sour. Even though he has accepted that not everyone will listen to him, he can find some solace that some people will act without him saying anything.

* * *

"It's a good thing I found you, Chisaki. I told you before; don't deal with those who harm honest folk."

An old man exits out of a vintage car that was looking worse from wear accompanied by men in cheap suits parked in front of the TV station Tomura had recently exited from. That little talk show was the easiest money he had ever made and it won't be the last. The old man looks at Tomura with Kurogiri beside him and gives the pair an ugly look.

"Scram."

「tch」

There is a moment of silence as Overhaul builds up resolve to do what pops expects of him by shooting a dismissive gaze at the pair he had originally called out himself.

"You heard pops."

「Now I thought you were the boss of your very own operation….」

"….," Overhaul's expression was hard to read due to the mask covering his mouth.

「Whatever….」

Kurogiri unlocks the suitcase, revealing very genuine looking bills and Tomura runs his fingers through them.

 **Sssshhhhhhhh**

The bills were turned to dust, there value becoming **nothing**.

"What are you?!"

「Piece them together at your leisure and call me again when you're actually taking this seriously.」

Tomura throws the empty suitcase at Overhaul and misses by a wide margin. It was always easier in video games.

「Tch…..My card's in there…somewhere…..persuasion is hard…..」

Tomura exits the scene courtesy of Kurogiri's warp gate with dark mist trailing behind him.

* * *

After hearing the news about what happened to Endeavor, Bakugo intuitively sought out Endeavor's hero agency as he left the diner and his intuition proved to be correct; self-righteous idiots were not limited to the ones he knew in that small classroom.

Bakugo expected as much, someone was dumb enough to burn down a hero agency, but the question was who? Blasting himself from rooftop from rooftop, he spies a familiar figure, **the bad touch man** and prepares for a drop kick.

"Eat this!"

Even so, there was no impact. Tomura had dodged at the last second as if he was expecting someone to attack him.

「Surprise attacks don't suit you? Hey, I remember you. You like winning don't you? How about you….」

 **Pawnch**

Tomura is decked in the head. Tomura's body lays splayed out on the ground.

"Not interested in anything you have to offer," is what Bakugo says to **the bad touch man**.

「…..hehehee….heads all fuzzy…..not letting me finish?」

 ***Crawck***

Tomura is kicked in the side. It was possible that his ribs were broken considering Bakugo's choice in footwear.

「…..Didn't feel that one…...but should you really be doing this?」

"Your head wasn't alright before, but I guess I made it worse."

 ***Crack***

Tomura is kicked in the side again.

「…..kicking an innocent bystander while he's on the ground, is that standard hero procedure?...Hmmm, well actually now that I think about it…」

"What part of you is innocent?"

「…..Watching things burn isn't against the law, but I'm pretty sure assault is. 」

"tch."

Bakugo recognized the man from the attack on USJ and on that talk show, but he could understand right away what the man was getting at. He was not directly affiliated with the arsonists and Bakugo did not see anything that could serve as evidence as he looks around. Bakugo was always the explode them first, ask questions later sort of guy. Without skipping a beat, he rockets away to the scene of the fire as he contemplates what possible utility his explosions would even serve in such a scenario.

Kurogiri returns in a puff of black mist right after being called away by Dabi, only to find Tomura looking worse for wear lying on the ground.

"Sorry, I'm late…...what happened!?"

「…..persuasion is hard…...by the way…...did we…..clear the Stage?」


	12. Chapter 12: Sophistry Surfacing

Chapter 12: Sophistry Surfacing

"What are you spacing out for?"

"Sorry Kacchan."

Bakugo and Deku were in the middle of a practical exam, yet only one of them had their mind on the task at hand.

 **NEW HAMSHIRE SMASH**

The ground explodes, with All Might in the center and by reflex, Deku prepares to launch a counter attack, yet when that smoke cleared, All Might was clutching Bakugo by the neck. Even with his airways restricted, Bakugo peppers All Might.

"Owowowowowo."

The tiny firecrackers had no effect whatsoever. With someone in trouble, Deku loses all reservation and he punches All Might without thinking too hard about the force behind it.

 **SMASH**

All Might is launched into a nearby building as he lets go of Bakugo, but quickly gets up and admonishes his attacker.

"Still not serious?"

The two stand off before launching into a contest of blows.

 **OraOraOraOraOraOraOraDekuDekuDekuDekuMudaMudaMudaMuda**

Anything that gets close to the two combatants would surely be reduced to giblets. It was an area of undeniable death by punching. The sheer wind pressure the two were generating were enough to blow Bakugo away into a nearby wall.

 _"_ _He was holding back wasn't he!"_

Bakugo could not stand up to the wind; he could not reenter the fray. His explosions could not propel him beyond the wind of knuckles. His win at the Sports Festival must have been a **lie**. The ugly thoughts continued to stew.

It looked like Deku was on the defensive, but that was only because his lack of reach. All Might who had a larger build and longer arms looked to have the decisive advantage, but that was a lie.

 **Serious SMASH**

All Might was blown away and as Deku stared dumbfounded at his bloodied fist, he was forced to remember of what he had done to the members of LoV that **day**.

* * *

A boy stands alone with the dark sky hanging overhead. He was covered in the blood of his foes who now all lay broken like dolls. The winged noumu was grounded with one of its wings torn off. The unmoving Dabi had received some things more serious than simply new scars. Toga and Twice had their legs broken. Spinner came out of the ordeal better than most with only a single broken kneecap. The only other person standing was that doctor from the boy's memories, the one who diagnosed his quirklessness. That doctor was trembling, but he still remembers the origins of the boy.

"You should really have given up back then…."

Deku does not look at the doctor; instead he looks at the carnage he had created. He had cold eyes that looked far away, dead set on what he had to do, eyes which the doctor once knew all too well.

Toga is on the floor, with her legs broken, but even so she urges herself to look up at the boy. Of all the things that were true, there was something she accepted completely.

"…..Beautiful…"

The blood stained boy does not look back at her and that is what hurts her the most, not the injuries he had inflicted. She sensed melancholy that was of a different kind from those of all her victims. It was different from the melancholy of inevitable death as they bled, for the boy shed no blood of his own.

 _"_ _Your ideals…..The reason you fight… The reason for your pained expression….I want to know it all…I want to know all about you…but…"_

That is Toga's regret as her own blood is spilling out. The boy would remain a mystery to her; she would not be able to learn anything more about him. That was her greatest regret as she felt her own life slipping away. The fact that LoV had a great "insurance" policy did not change those feelings.

"Heroes like you….Stain was right…."

Spinner, eyes the figure that smashed them all down in an instant. There was no hesitation in his use of excessive violence. That is what heroes had become. This was what they were fighting against. The immature iguana boy steels his resolve and tries to get back up before the boy shoots him with a stare.

"…..fa…..," was all he could finish before he his hit by that stare.

Deku remembers what he had wanted to be.

 _"_ _Mighty boy, All Might Junior, Captain All Might, I wanted a name like his, but I know I'm not All Might."_

Deku wanted to be the ideal hero, but to do what was necessary right now; he had to stray from it.

 _"_ _It's a gamble….."_

Dabi had already passed out some time ago, while everyone else was close to passing out. Even though Deku looked more like a villain in this situation than a hero, he remained resolute. Resolute amidst the uncertainty in his plan, even as one of the members was clawing himself up while clawing at his unmasked face.

 **"** **It's coming out. It's coming OUT!"**

Scanning the floor, he grabs his doppelganger with dead fish eyes by the ponytail and states a fact.

"If it started the same for you as you say…..…then I can trust that you won't let anyone here get caught."

「*… …*」

"That girl that approached me earlier with the knife, she's wanted by the police isn't she? Then I can assume that those trusted to work with her don't have clean hands either. If you want those born wrong to smile, you won't abandon them here just to incriminate me. Just as Kacchan isn't dead, Ingenium is running about, all this evidence against me will become **nothing** , you must have that ability," Deku says with a threatening tone with hints of desperation.

Deku did not break down. He would not be beaten with mere words. The attempt was **All For Nothing**. Even, so that outcome was known from the start. A loser will always be a loser; it was a fact of life. That should have been the case with Deku and his dream, but it had come true, unlike hers. It was an infuriating thing, but it was the same for sensei. **All For One** too lived a life that was **All For Nothing**.

 _/*Everything I have done was_ _ **All For Nothing**_ _because of All Might, so I want to make everything All Might has done_ _ **All For Nothing**_ _. You won't restore me, for you understand the concept of bargaining power, so you aren't unintelligent. Even so, for helping Tenko, I'll give you something that can belong to you._ _ **All For Nothing,**_ _it's a name like mine.*/_

There is silence for a while, before it is broken with a smile in contrast to Deku's expression.

「*… I couldn't win…*」

"How can you still be smiling?"

Deku's question did not remain unanswered for long as that one member who was clawing himself up became many. Though the original had his legs broken, his copy was walking about and so was his copy's copy.

"Even if things don't go the way you want them to," Twice forces out.

"Even if you **lose** ," says Twice#2 with a smile.

"Even if you **don't win** ," says Twice#3 with a grin.

"Even if you look like an idiot," says Twice#6 before Deku throws his doppelganger at him with a heavy thud.

"Even if you're walked on," says Twice#25 as he receives Deku's fist.

"Even if you're kicked," says Twice#34 as he receives Deku's foot.

"Even if you're sad," says Twice#47 as he receives Deku's elbow.

"Even if you're bitter," says Twice#51 as he takes a lariat to the neck.

" Even if you're tired of it all," says Twice#72 as he's drop kicked.

"Even if it hurts," says Twice#126 as his skull is caved in.

"Even if it's hard," says Twice#245 as he's punched **really** hard.

"Even if you're **weak** ," says Twice#345 as he's snapped in two.

"Even if you **aren't right** ," says Twice#400 before being reduced to gooey chunks.

"Even if you're humble," says Twice#535 before being reduced to misty giblets.

" **Through all of that, we Minus always laugh** ," says over a thousand clones as they rushed at their single enemy while pinching their cheeks.

His body was many and his heart was fractured, yet at this moment, his heart was one. Though Twice had reservations of making clones of himself due to a certain incident in the past, he had cast that reservation away. Risking his fragile psyche, he had created many clones, yet even with all those hands, he could not touch his enemy. Clinging onto the hope of victory, the **Attack of the Clones** remained relentless.

 _"_ _Even if I'm a fake, I am not alone."_

The army of men, the wave of men, all identical with the same mask continued to claw at their enemy. Being an original or a copy, in Twice's mind, none of those things mattered anymore. Real or fake, they were all the same; they all existed to protect the place where they all belonged, the League of Villains no matter how futile. Forcing himself to smile, Twice misleads the uncertainty within himself.

The League of Villains was nothing more than a collection of misfits that was what Twice had learned. They were a gathering of broken fakes that could not fit into society. No matter how much Toga had imitated normies, she would never fit in with a fake identity. No matter how much Ms. Magne insisted, the normies would question her gender. Dabi insists to go through life with nothing but a fake name. As Twice looks onto the boy that mirrors their green haired small fry, it becomes apparent that Zako was a fake too. Twice was obsessed with a sense of self, for his quirk made it hard to maintain one. At the end of it all, the Twice that had remained might not have been the original one, but that did not matter now.

 _"_ _We were all fakes to begin with,"_ was the idea Twice used to steel his resolve. The **Attack of the Clones** consisted of various punches and tackles, yet none found their mark.

Even with infinite fists, Twice could not match his opponent's one. Twice could not overcome the gap in power with numbers alone. The entire world's talc cannot cut a diamond, such was the unfortunate truth. Twice could not help but curse.

 _"Conservation_ _of Ninjutsu, how I hate thee."_

Real or fake, to Deku, none of those things mattered anymore. Real or fake, they were all going to be decked the same. Even with infinite power, Deku could not eliminate them all. For every clone he dispatches, 2 more would take its place, such was the unfortunate truth, and thus Deku was forced to think things through.

 _"_ _Each clone can create a clone. As long as one remains, he won't stop…."_

Deku gets into a stance with his legs firmly on the ground.

 _"_ _Then I'll just have to deck them all at the same time!"_

 **Serious Series Serious Side Steps**

Deku's dilemma was answered with brute force. To match Twice's ever expanding army, Deku created his own with nothing but his speed. Rushing forward with his arms cocked back, the army of Deku unleashes a single attack.

 **ONE PUNCH FOR ALL**

The opposing army was swept in an instant, becoming nothing more than viscous goo. Every single "Twice" took a punch to the gut in a single instant. The many had once again become one as the original keeled over. Twice never stood a chance as he lay on the floor unmasked, yet even though he lost this battle, he had clearly gained something for he had the widest of smiles. The loser was smiling, but the winner was not. Deku's breathing had grown heavy.

"….ha..hah….haha…"

Bodies were strewn everywhere, not unlike in his encounter with Todoroki's mom. It was something Deku never wanted to see firsthand, let alone cause. They had broken bones with blood pooling around them with a lone doctor checking up on them, but even so they continued to struggle just the same. Unlike street level thugs he had fought during his tutelage under Saitama those years ago, the League of Villains was a different sort of enemy. They did not yield or run away from mere violence. They won't stop; they won't stop on their own. As long as Deku stands, they'll keep getting back up even if it killed them. The feeling of his fist passing through flesh was a sickening feeling. He grips onto his left eye because he can't fathom the horrific scene. Every second Deku stood in the hell of his own making; he could feel his heart breaking. For that reason, Deku had no choice but to leave for the sake of his own sanity.

 _"_ _There are many monsters in this world."_

Deku briskly leaves the scene; leaving LoV to their own devices. As he makes a turn and the scene behind him disappears, a curse was being cast.

 **「** ***All For Nothing*** **」**

His costume which was the color of Christmas red and green quickly lost its red stains as if it was never stained at all. Hidden in his gloves are 2 strands of hair, the only DNA samples he was able to pilfer from the League of Villains before the event of his rampage was made into **nothing**. When that blonde girl tried to stab him, when his doppelganger was leaning on him, he used the opportunity to secure hair samples without them knowing. He hoped a flashy violent show of violence would divert attention away from his subtler actions, but he felt he had taken it too far. His rampage was simply a cover to hide the fact he was acting with rationality, with a goal, that was what he wanted to believe.

 _"_ _I'm not wrong…...they'll be walking again just like Ingenium…..."_

He tried to convince himself that his actions were made out of only pragmatism and not some misplaced sense of anger that was stewing within him after seeing those frozen corpses that day. Those frozen corpses caused by a poor gentle woman that had only lived to be used by others. He tried to convince himself that he didn't hurt anyone on the long term, but that was just sophistry to soften his guilt. No matter what he tried to convince himself of, Deku felt guilty for not living up to the ideal he sought, but he knew that's what the League of Villains wanted him to feel. Mrs. Todoroki was already mentally unstable from her less than ideal marriage and it wouldn't be a stretch to believe that LoV was employing the same tactics on him in order to drive him off the righteous path. Even so, he refused to yield, reminding himself of what a hero should be.

 _"_ _A hero saves people…. Being a hero is not about beating up villains."_

Deku's ideal was different from Kacchan's, yet to overcome a troubling situation, he fell back onto the idea of what Kacchan would do. What he had done was no different from how he had acted in the attack at USJ against the shock absorbing noumu. His actions were no different from the other students who beat the other uninvited guests with impunity. The attack on USJ was real; it was a cover up to maintain the reputation of UA, which is what he had convinced himself of.

 _"_ _Some of the teachers must be investigating them."_

He clenches his fist; he'll hand over the hair samples to his teachers and hope a DNA test would uncover some light behind the perpetrators of the USJ attack and the massacre at Wookies. The League of Villains was not right. The reverse was also true.

"I'm not wrong…."

Even so, he couldn't help feel that he was straying from the path and all his efforts were **All For Nothing**.

* * *

It was a vexing scenario. In order to preserve the public trust in UA, the attack on USJ was passed off as an elaborate exercise and now the staff at UA was paying the price. If they were to suddenly announce that the leader of LoV was in fact a dangerous criminal, then they would be admitting that they had lied to the public. Once the public knows of that, there would be no public trust. To avoid falling into a pit, they had dug an even deeper hole. That was what principal Nedzu was mulling over with the finger tips of his paws touching.

"I'm sorry," was all Vlad King, the homeroom teacher of Class B could say before the principal.

Testimony from Midoriya and Todoroki regarding the incident with Todoroki's mother complicated things to say the least. Nedzu has always had suspicions of Saitama-sensei, but that might just been that bald head of his. In the small circle of sentient non-humans beings in this world like him, there were always rumors about the **Symbol of Human Supremacy**. Nedzu assumed that this symbol was a fictitious one started by the quirkless neo-skinheads generations ago, but now he wasn't so sure.

 _"_ _The_ _ **Dark Age**_ _."_

The idea of an unstoppable bald man in yellow plowing through inhuman **"monsters"** in the past must have had some credibility, since it was a concept that was repeated many times by books authored by sentient animals like **Armored Gorilla**. Wearing yellow wasn't very strange. It was a popular color among users of super strength like the young Sato whose strength is derived from the ingestion of sugar.

Even so, Nedzu could not bring himself to trust Saitama. He hoped that keeping him close with a teaching position would allow him to unveil the old man's true nature, but all they had was only conjecture.

LoV only gained its troublesome harmless reputation after the USJ attacks were covered up as an exercise, which was the result of Aizawa's quick thinking based off of Saitama's words, who was apparently the master of Midoriya. Despite what vague information that was on Saitama, he was liked among the elderly, like Recovery Girl and according to All Might, even Gran Torino was a fan. There was nothing concrete about Saitama hiding something.

Midoriya was different in this regard as there were many obvious things that rose alarms. His strength was one of them. During Aizawa's apprehension test, UA's budget was just recovering from the cost of the entrance exam, thus there were attempts at erasing Midoriya's quirk to save some money, yet the erasing hero's quirk proved ineffective on Midoriya. After conducting some tests in the lab on the hair he always sheds, it was revealed that he lacked a **plus alpha** factor. Genetically, Midoriya should be quirkless and that matched up with public medical records.

 _"_ _An extra toe joint…..,"_ was what Nedzu murmured under his breath examining a certain x-ray on his computer.

Digging into the Midoriya family background simply raised more alarms. He had a father who breathed fire that apparently worked overseas and a mother whose quirk was probably a weak variant of telekinesis, a far cry from mythical figures of the **Dark Age** like Tornado of Terror or even Blizzard of Hell. If that woman was related to those old heroes, then one could assume that the quirk was something that got weaker overtime, until it completely disappeared from the bloodline. Quirk mutations were a rare thing and so was quirklessness, yet the existence of someone who shared the same face as Midoriya exacerbated the problem.

"So, you saw someone with the same face as Midoriya running the stands while you were mock fighting a serial killer?"

Vlad King could not face the principal and while staring at the floor he could only utter a single thing.

"Yes…."

"That matches Todoroki's testimony."

Todoroki had visited one of LoV's hideouts during the incident involving his mother, so there was a rough idea of what some of the members looked like discounting the members who were masked. Midoriya had even brought hair samples from some of the members of the League of Villains some time after the aftermath. The first was a blonde strand belonging to a known serial killer with the surname Himiko and given name Toga. The other was undoubtedly his sibling based on DNA testing, yet the Midoriya family only had a single birth certificate for a single child. This extra individual, also lacked a proper **plus alpha factor** among other things, but clearly had **something else**.

 _"_ If young Midoriya is indeed a spy for LoV, then these samples might be red herring."

"What could he possibly be misleading us into thinking? That's just circular logic."

"True."

The plus alpha factor, the **quirk factor** responsible for someone's quirk was something innate from a person's conception as a zygote. It's a beneficial mutation originating from a common source. Though someone's quirk factor could be hypothetically passed around to others, the idea of a pre-formed being randomly gaining a beneficial mutation from some accident was a preposterous idea found only in comic books and crazy senile people. The idea of someone gaining a crab form quirk by eating too much crab was simply silly. Whether he was biased from his own background, Nedzu had a single thought.

 _"_ Human experimentation….…"

"Do you think that's why they took Monoma?"

As evidenced by what they could gather from the noumu they captured in the aftermath of the USJ incident, the League of Villains undoubtedly employed human experimentation. The noumu were puppets that held multiple quirks; bioengineered weapons. It wouldn't be unreasonable that a child like Monoma with the ability to copy quirks, replicate the form of someone else's quirk factor would make for some very attractive research material.

"…..," was all the downtrodden teacher could reply with.

Monoma wasn't taken by force; he worked for LoV willingly, even if it was through deception, so it wasn't exactly a traditional kidnapping case. Right now, Monoma was a missing person to the public and UA was taking some serious flak. The only evidence they had that LoV was behind it was only conjecture and the young Todoroki's testimony, but there would be public outcry if that alone sufficed as evidence. Right now, LoV was loved by the public as much as the Todoroki family was reviled, especially after those charity events. Endeavor and his mentally unstable wife were popular topics of gossip among the public. No one wanted to admit it, but popularity alone held a lot of sway in today's current hero society. Yet the only thing on Vlad King's mind was his own failings as a teacher. That was what Vlad King was mulling over.

"Shouldn't we mobilize a search team?"

"With that troublesome "warp gate" quirk, that cloud of black mist that serves as gatekeeper, I doubt we'll find much."

Saitama could not be trusted to be an exam proctor for the young students, even if his scuffles with Bakugou at lunch hour were mostly harmless. With the ridiculous strength Saitama's disciple possessed that wasn't a quirk, All Might was counted upon to be the exam proctor for Midoriya and Bakugou. Midoriya could not be trusted in a practical exam with a hero any weaker than the strongest they had. Even with All Might's deteriorating health, he was still the strongest hero in the eyes of the public and the faculty of UA.

The League of Villains was a vexing entity with various unknown resources; they needed to be cut at the root quickly. Nedzu takes out a pen and paper and begins to furiously write an invitation.

"After exams, we'll invite them…then we'll find out who's playing who."

* * *

"You don't know the meaning of restraint do you?" the elderly Recovery Girl muses.

"All Might….."

Deku was ashamed at what he had done to his childhood idol. All Might lay deflated in a hospital bed. The live stream of their particular exam was cut off by Recovery Girl in order to hide All Might's condition from any troubling eyes. The **Symbol of Peace** was crumbling, All Might's health had been deteriorating for years now, it was for that reason All Might found his resolve to become a teacher, yet that fact had to be hidden to stop society for crumbling. As of now, only 2 students knew of All Might's condition. The unconscious Bakugo was resting the in the bed parallel to All Might's.

Tears were welling up in Deku's eyes.

"I'm sorry…..All Might…I'm sorry…*sobs*…you must think I'm really pathetic right now…"

Though Deku was distraught, his tears revealed a comforting fact for All Might. In order to comfort that crying boy, he thinks back to the preparations he had made before he accepted his teaching position and quotes Leo Buscaglia.

" **Only the weak are cruel…..gentleness can only be expected from the strong…** so to me you're the farthest thing away from pathetic."

Principal Nedzu had tasked him with the heavy burden to dig up information on Saitama and his young disciple. It was for that reason All Might challenged Saitama to a fight that day. It was for that reason he was the exam proctor for young Midoriya. Unbeknownst to the rest of the UA staff, All Might had revealed his secret to Saitama, putting faith in Gran Torino's view. Looking at the crying face of the young Midoriya, he could sense no ill intentions. Even if there wasn't any evidence, even if it was simply conjecture, All Might was convinced that these two were trustworthy, regardless of what principal Nedzu thought. If the next generation consisted of people like young Midoriya, then All Might could let the era pass him by without him without any regrets.

"Gentle huh?"

Deku could not think of himself as gentle. If he was gentle, he would have ended up like Mrs. Todoroki. The weak and thus the cruel could not tolerate a gentle woman. Staring at his hand, Deku clenches it tight. He was told by Saitama-sensei that being the strongest isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Every day since then, heroes and villains alike reinforced that idea, but even so Deku refused to regret the path he has walked. He'll continue onto that path running even if the destination wasn't the one he had in mind as a simple child who only admired heroes. All the while, Bakugo was mumbling in his sleep.

"…Deku….you liar…you were holding back.….you wanted to beat me didn't you…didn't you….all these years...?"

An annoying voice rings in his head.

 ** _「_** ** _*_** _You wanted to beat him. Even if you weren't cool, or strong, or just. Even though you weren't blessed with talent and are misguided. You want to beat the victorious people when you can't win. You wanted to prove that you were…..*_ ** _」_**

 **Slap**

Deku had slapped himself comically hard, a slap that could shatter bones, if used on anyone else, with Saitama being the exception. It was something that shocked All Might, so when he was about to say something more Deku cut him off.

"I'll get some air."

* * *

"….."

To Kurogiri's dismay, his bar was in disarray. The heroes had come and raided it. They knew it was inevitable, which was why they set up another meeting location right after their encounter with the son of Endeavor. Even though the new bar was exactly the same as the old one in appearance, he couldn't help but feel something as he looks at the wreckage.

"So uncivilized."

Broken chairs, wood splinters and broken cabinet glass were on the floor. It was a good thing he secured his wine collection beforehand along with his wine glasses, lest the heroes started drinking it. It had been sometime since the raid and there were no heroes in sight, though it could be a ruse. There could very well be cameras all over the place, but that was of no concern, for the LoV had plenty of media exposure already from public events. Attention was made to avoid leaving behind any evidence and even if heroes were somewhere out there waiting to jump them, they didn't have anything they could charge them with. In fact, if word got out about this raid, the public would surely take their side just as they did during the blood drive. Besides, with him on the scene, escape was a simple matter. Looking at what was lost, he spies something on the floor that wasn't there before.

"It's an invitation," Kurogiri muses as he carefully inspects the foreign object for any traps.

Shigaraki takes the invitation from Kurogiri's hands with a pinch of his fingers and skims through it with a smile on his face.

「It's a trap. It's such an obvious trap that it would be rude not to walk right into it.」

"…This isn't a time to be playing chicken."

「They acknowledge me enough to try to catch me, but not enough to be subtle about it….Summer Camp?...It's a vexing thing really… Which videogames should I bring? Which party members?...You think they have Wi-Fi?」

"…..."

Kurogiri continued to trust the will of **All For One** , but sometimes that trust falters just a little as he looks at the successor he had chosen.

* * *

The days had gone by and summer was approaching. The announcement of the results of the practical exam just before summer are always very emotional times, of both relief and of despair. Ashido, aka Pinky was pinker than usual.

"Oh my god you guys, I'm….." was what she was saying before she was cut off.

"Don't…" was what Deku was starting with before he too was cut off by Kaminari in an accusing tone.

"Don't act like you can understand us, you! You obviously passed like its nothing, like with everything. You never had to go through remedial hell!"

"…."

There was no certainty if Deku had passed or not considering his excessive use of force. The encounter with Twice had messed up his sense of power scaling for the clones he made did not have the same durability as normal people. If Deku was the exam proctor, he would have failed himself without question.

"The bell has rung so to your seats," Aizawa says.

Everyone scrambled to their desks, well except Iida who was already seated properly.

"Morning, about the exam, some of you failed, and so…everyone's going to the Forest Lodge."

"…figures…everything has to be a twist with you," the rest of the class mumbles. His apprehension test, the staged attack on USJ, the surprise Saitama-sensei substitute and the exam, the students were catching onto Aizawa, they convinced themselves.

"Not again UA! Can't you see our trust has already wavered?!"

Iida was miffed. Iida was standing.

"Wet blanket," was what Uraraka says without much thought. She was too busy turning her gaze from Bakugo and Deku. She was really curious what had happened during their exam, though for the wrong reasons. Looking at a shiny spot on Deku's head, the place with no hair, she somewhat misses Saitama-sensei. He was the one who taught her the art of bargain hunting for groceries after all.

"…."

Aizawa wasn't sure what to think of what the students have thought of him. Saitama-sensei did have to be the substitute for a not so insignificant stretch of time as his injuries from that very real attack on USJ to heal. The fact that principal Nedzu had made a gamble and let a complete unknown who did not even have a proper hero license teach could not be leaked out to the public. Even so, it was apparently necessarily to gauge Saitama's trustworthiness. Currently, Saitama was teaching the upper years after more concrete information of his strength came into light. If student and master were to rampage together, then nothing could stop them. Aizawa certainly did feel a bit uncomfortable with that fact, but it was for that reason, All Might was always shadowing Saitama-sensei. All Might's emancipated form made a great disguise with the addition of a janitor uniform.

From what Aizawa could see, Bakugo was in a worse mood than usual and Midoriya wore a complicated expression. The footage of their exam was being kept on hold. The results of which would unsettle the public if it was leaked, let alone to the rest of the student body.

Deku was in an even worse state of mind than Todoroki ever since their internship ended. Aizawa wonders what happened between Shoto and Saitama-sensei. A kid doesn't easily get over the fact his parents are hospitalized, let alone the public denouncement from what his parents had recently done.

 _"_ _Maybe that man can actually teach."_

A student with a dubious background beating All Might in a contest of brute strength was something. Such a fact was troubling and it was compounded by the lack of interaction the boy had with the other students.

 _"_ _The kid's innocent. If he had any malicious intent, UA would have been rubble the day of the entrance of exam. It doesn't make sense to beat around the bush with strength like that."_

Whether or not the boy was part of a villainous conspiracy like what Nedzu believes, he would surely walk the wrong path without comrades. The rest of the class continued to keep an observer's distance.

The path he had carved himself with brutish determination was not quite straight forward as he hoped.

Bakugo continued to shoot Deku with murderous gazes as he continued to mull over the fact his path isn't so clear cut anymore.

* * *

A little boy named Kouta waits in anticipation for summer. He was a boy who had always thought the world was mad and that was why he admired Shigaraki who did not beat around the bush about that fact. That same Shigaraki was invited to the Forest Lodge this summer, if what he overheard from his aunt was correct. His parents were heroes and they died in the line of duty as if it was a matter of course. They abandoned him to the other world without a thought. The world was mad, but what was the source? The answer had to be quirks. With quirks, people could pursue stupid dreams. Quirks were a **disease** and there must have been people who thought the same way. If only the world could be right again.

There was certainly something wrong with this world, but not in the way he initially thought.

* * *

A little girl named Eri waits in the corner, with no one around to help her. Overhaul had taken Shigaraki's words to heart and has truly become the leader of his own operation with pops being physically incapable of interfering any longer. There was no longer anyone who spoke out against the idea of tearing up a little girl over and over to create the **cure**. The mad world needed to be cured. To be cured of stupid dreams. If only everyone else could understand that. He looks at the little girl and wonders why she isn't any happier for she was the **cure** to make the world right again.

There was certainly something wrong with this world, but not in the way he initially thought.


	13. Chapter 13: Solid Summer

Chapter 13: Solid Summer

Dinner at the Midoriya household had gotten quite silent as of late. That feeling of uncertainty was a constant during her son's years of training with Saitama was resurfacing. Even though he would come back home with scratches and bruises those years ago, the smile on her son's face would be enough to dissolve her fears. It was a wide genuine smile she thought she would never see again ever since her son was diagnosed as quirkless.

In the end what did anyone know? It would be weird not to think of the strength her son now possessed wasn't some latent quirk. Her son's dream had come true, but recently, his smiles always came off as disingenuous. It was for that reason, she had to ask.

"Is there something wrong at UA?"

In Inko's mind, it had to do something with UA. She looked to the side to see Saitama munching away his bowl of rice with a bored expression. Saitama-sensei was a substitute teacher at UA and recently he had his hands full with the 3rd year classes presumably mulling over lesson plans. The normally laid back old man was clearly someone who did not like paperwork or grading, but when something had to be done, he could do it without fail. It could be her son was had simply taken Saitama for granted and was now unhappy with Saitama's new busy schedule. It wouldn't be surprising that her son craved a father figure considering how her husband was constantly away.

"…..ah….actually….do I have a sister?"

Inko was taken aback.

"Uhm….do you want one?"

Inko never really planned on having another child, but it wouldn't be weird for her son who didn't seem to have any friends to be lonely.

"So I'm a single child…..," is what her son mutters to himself.

She never pries too hard on her husband, but considering he was never home, but she did not like what her son was insinuating. Inko was getting worked up and her son quickly picked up on what she was thinking.

"No, no, it's not like that mom….I just know someone with my face."

"Well, there are quirks like that," Inko interjects.

"Well there are sometimes monsters like that, but they aren't that big of a deal," Saitama interjects.

Izuku wasn't really sure of Saitama's use of language.

"Monsters? I know some quirks make people look…"

Saitama was lost in thought, trying hard to remember something.

"Well, they haven't appeared in a while ever since I…...since I….."

The times had changed and Saitama knew that modern people would take what he said the wrong way. There have been times in the past eras where people tried to lock him away for what he had casually admitted. He had played along back then, but then again, there wasn't a place that could ever hold him.

"Just don't think about it," Saitama says.

Deku learned that there are some questions Saitama would never answer, so he posed one that he would.

"Didn't you ever wonder what it meant to be the greatest hero?"

"That always sounded boring as hell."

Ever since her son gained that strength of his, Inko was overjoyed, yet it was clear to her that her son had lost something besides his hair. Even before he was strong, despite his meek demeanor, her son did the right thing as a matter of course, even if that meant being singled out at school. It was her son's selling point, a sincere type of heroism that made people around him feel ashamed for better or for worse. Something that could push others away just as easily as it could inspire others. It was the trait that created the rift with his childhood friends. It was a trait even All Might would admire.

 _"_ _He's forgotten hasn't he?"_

The great strength that he now has in spades has obscured that one striking trait of his. With his abundant power, he had burdened himself with some vague sense of responsibility. Obsessing with what a hero should do out of obligation as opposed to what he would have done naturally out of altruism.

"Boring as hell?"

Izuku knew that answer was coming. It wasn't a question anyone really had an answer to. Not even All Might, the number one hero had a concrete answer to that. All Might himself would admit he just simply believed that the country needed a symbol and hit the pavement running.

Saitama clears his throat with a trickle of sweat hidden behind his scalp.

 **"** Ahem….J- **Just think about what you can do as a hero and how to get better at it. Pick a goal and run with it. That's how it starts. That's why I started training. Thinking about the little details will only trip you up. Everyone has their own ideal image of a hero, so it's impossible to please everyone. Just become the hero you yourself can look up to."**

Whatever happened past, present or future did not matter, for Deku would always come back to this one conclusion of Saitama's. It didn't even matter if parts of it came from the essay Saitama was currently grading written by a certain Togata.

"Also, put on this wig. You're only a teenager."

It was then Deku realized that his teacher had issues with his bald head as he was presented a wig of curly dark green hair. It was a small present before the departure to the Forest Lodge.

* * *

All Might was always scolded by his old mentor for not visiting often. Only ever running towards his goal, he spared little time for personal matters, so Gran Torino knew exactly what to say when All Might showed up on his doorstep on a certain evening. Two cups of tea were prepared and the former mentor and student were discussing things before a kitchen table.

"What is it this time?"

All Might was taken aback.

"How did you.."

Gran Torino was not amused.

"Seriously, you only visit when you have questions."

"Sorry."

"Spit it out."

"The principal still has his suspicions about Saitama; I'm even wearing a janitor's uniform in my weakened form as a disguise to snoop on him."

"Doesn't that man already know about your weakened form?"

There were clearly things All Might wasn't telling his co-workers, but that was to be expected. All Might in a sense, to maintain himself as the Symbol of Peace has built a foundation of lies. His failing health, his true identity and the nature of his quirk were only several of the lies perpetuated in the benefit of society.

"Do you still have lingering doubts about Saitama or do you not have the courage to confront the principal?"

"….."

" Well, Nedzu isn't human, so it makes sense for him to be wary of Saitama."

"Why is that?"

"Toshinori, you're still ignorant of the **Dark Age** ," was Gran Torino's response.

"….."

In the rebuilding of society, many cardinal truths were brushed under the rug. The existence of All For One in the public eye was reduced to a mere rumor on the internet, even though his underground empire was very real. All Might thought he knew them all, but that was not the truth. There were still many truths of this world that even the most informed do not know.

"History that evens someone as old as me isn't too clear about. It was the age even before All For One. It was the tipping point before society truly descended into anarchy, though that could be argued. Even in my day, people considered it to be a farfetched rumor, but after witnessing him in action, scavenging whatever leads I had over the decades, it must have been true…all of it."

"…Sensei…stop beating around the bush. This is urgent."

"Now I'm hearing hypocrisy. You're aware of the social upheaval caused by quirks."

"The appearance of quirks challenged society's perception of what was "human" and plunged the world into anarchy. What of it?"

"Anarchy is always something people try to avoid. The government took measures to cover up the initial existence of quirks. Well, back then, the word "quirk" wasn't coined just yet."

"A time before quirks were even a term…"

"In those days, if you were lucky they would pass you off as a superhero. That's what happened to the Tornado of Terror, the number 2 hero of the Dark Age. She was marketed as a **hero** with psychic powers."

"…the not so lucky ones?"

"Those that did not fit the human mold, people that looked like animals for example, were labeled as **_"mysterious beings"_** and executed by the army on sight. The government claimed they didn't know where these " **mysterious beings** " came from, but it was all a ruse. These late bloomers, suddenly taking on forms that would seem pedestrian today, treated as non-human by others, thinking of themselves as non-human and lacking the basic rights of humans, a lot of those " **mysterious beings** " turned to violent crime becoming **"monsters"**. Eventually, the task of executing these " **mysterious beings** " once a task for the army fell onto the precursor to our hero association with heroes more suitable for the task."

"…..so Saitama-sensei was.."

Nedzu's suspicions were not ungrounded.

"The strongest hero, thus the greatest **executioner**."

"then….."

"No matter what anyone says, that doesn't discount the fact that he's a hero like you. He's saved the world countless times and continues to save people. Even as the people he's saved called him a fraud in one era…a murderer in the next…As a fellow hero, you should understand the fact that you can only save those you side with."

All Might understands. There are times when lethal force is the only option available. He still recalls All For One's unmoving body. As All For One gouged at his stomach, he gouged at his face in retaliation. There are villains in this world that can't be bought, bribed or bargained with. They won't stop, which is why heroes can't either.

"He's a hero that this world needs, yet he's not a hero this world ever deserved."

"So what should I do?"

Gran Torino puts his cup of tea down.

"Have faith. That's the least you could do. When it comes to that man, everything works out in the end."

* * *

It was the first day of the trip. The gears of fate were turning round and round, but the wheels on the bus did not. On the way to the Forest Lodge, the bus had stopped at the side of the cliff. This was the territory of the Pussy Cats. One of the founding hero teams of the Union Affairs Office with 12 years of mountain rescue operations. Something in Deku had told him he should have been more enthusiastic. After experiencing a taste of world of heroes and villains, his enthusiasm was subdued.

"The Wild Wild Pussy Cats...no reaction?"

No one in Class A was reacting. In a sense, their over the top introduction was flaccid. The students were as interested as the little kid that had to tang along with his aunt. The long bus ride seemed to have dulled their senses or these older heroes had lost the ability to connect with today's youth.

"18 at heart."

That was what they tried to convince themselves of, but the kids weren't buying it. The lodgings were on the base of a mountain, so what came next was only obvious.

"The kittens that don't make it by 12:30am aint eating."

The first day of the Forest Lodge was an uneventful one even as the dirt below exploded beneath their feet. Into the so called "Forest of Magical Beasts" they went.

"Pretty uninspired," was Denki's reaction until they met a monster.

"MAGICAL Bea…"

 **SMASH**

Deku smashed the monster made of earth without any reservations. It only took one hit. It wasn't human, that was a fact Deku could find solace in. To be a hero he had to steel himself. It happened so fast that Mineta didn't even register it, which was a blessing for the one in charge of laundry.

For someone that was not a pro hero, damaging public property was forbidden, even if one was a hero in training, but the land before them was not public property. The land was owned privately by the Pussy Cats and they gave the students permission to do whatever they wished to that land. Unlike in the city, without a building or road in sight, Deku had free reign to use his strength.

 **Serious Stomp**

With a stomp of his foot, Deku parted the forest, clearing a road for his classmates. Some were thankful, the teachers especially were not.

"He's making it too easy," was Aizawa's complaint, but the alternative was giving Deku special treatment which was non-ideal.

"A nice easy stroll isn't that…," was what Kirishima was saying until Bakugo mutters something under his breath and makes a bee line for the front leaving fumes in his wake.

Under an hour later, Class A reached the lodgings.

"My awakened earth beasts…..you could have showed some mercy….I wasn't able to show them off because of you."

Pixie-bob was fuming at the little overpowered shrub. Rummaging his hair, she noticed the wig and was immediately regretful. Becoming middle aged was right around the corner, but even so, she continued to insist she was 18 at heart, yet seeing the bald head she knew she overstepped her bounds.

"I didn't know…"

She rubs her hand on the large bald spot before kneeling on the ground in apology, but it wouldn't last long..

"By the way, is one of you that child's mother?"

Deku points to Kouta and Pixie-bob immediately slaps him. Mandalay did not feel sorry for the tactless boy.

 _"_ _Who raised him?"_

As he looks toward her nephew, she is reminded of the painful truth that not every household has a perfectly functioning household. She wonders what sort of father figure the boy had to be able to say that to women with a straight face.

 _"_ _Watch out for the hysterical types,"_ was Saitama's voice echoing in Deku's head.

"He's my nephew," Mandalay clarifies.

It was then Kouta approached the balding brat. Deku extends his hand towards the little Kouta initiating a hand shake.

"Hi my name is…."

 **Crunch**

"Ow."

Kouta is clutching his bloodied fist. Aiming a punch in between the legs, yet it was his fist that was in pain.

 _"_ _Balls of steel,"_ was what escaped Kirishima's mouth.

Deku shoots the kid with a smile.

"Are you alright?"

Kouta turns away.

"Stop pretending to smile, it's disgusting."

In front of Kouta did kids that wanted to be corny ass heroes. Drunk on their quirks, humanity had gone mad. That was the truth Kouta believed. Idiots were trying to replicate fantasy into reality just because they were born with a fantastical power. That was the case with the idiot in front of him. That was the case of his parents who put that fantasy before raising him. That was the case of the idiots he lived around that encouraged that type of childish behavior, but he believed himself to be different. Kouta walks away, ignoring the snide comment of _"he's trying to act like an adult"_ from an abrasive looking moron.

 _"_ _Everyone is insane. Killing each other like idiots with their quirks."_

He believed himself to be rational like Shigaraki and his League of Villains. When insanity is the norm, the sane appear insane.

* * *

They reached the lodgings earlier than expected so there was time to kill. Non-lethal disabling techniques were something Deku had to learn based on Saitama's advice. If he wanted to become a hero that could save everyone, power alone was not enough. It was for that reason he worked up the courage to ask Uraraka to teach him what she had learned from Gunhead at her internship. It was unfortunate that she turned him down.

 _"_ _C-can you t-teach me Gunhead's martial arts?"_

 _"_ _A-are you sure that's safe?"_

Fiddling with her fingers she tried not to sound rude. Deku was also mumbling as he had never had experience talking to the opposite sex discounting his mother.

 _"_ _I-I mean, I-It's not like I love living or anything, b-but…"_

Deku could understand her reasoning. He could totally see himself accidently snapping her in half. Before he could spar with others, he needed to seriously learn control. Kirishima on the other hand was happy to help. Kirishima had faith in his ability to take a punch.

It was for that reason, before 12 o clock came around, the two headed off to a nearby cliff.

"Steel thy manly heart…," Kirishima says in preparation.

"I'm not going to punch you…...yet. I'm going to gauge my punches against that cliff there first."

Deku cocks his fist.

"Normal punch."

The punch did nothing. Kirishima was shielding his eyes with his arms, expecting something flashier like a dust explosion.

"How bout **Serious Smash.** "

The punch this time meets Kirishima's original expectation. The cliff is split in two and the area erupts in an explosion of dust. Fragments rain down upon them. Kirishima felt sorry for whoever had to do their laundry.

 _*cough cough*_

As the smoke clears, Deku spies an old short man that wasn't there before.

"Seriously, being that man's disciple, I was expecting more."

"S-sorry, I thought…"

Deku should have been more mindful of his surroundings. He thought he and Kirishima were the only ones in the vicinity, yet the old man lectured him in something he didn't expect.

"You call that serious? That was just a normal punch."

Glancing away from the rubble which was once part of a mountain, Deku glances over to see an unfamiliar old short man with a cane. Deku only knew one person that calls out "normal punches" as a special move.

"Do you know Saitama-sensei?"

The old man is not amused.

"Do you? I thought that man was training up a successor, but I guess not. You don't know the meaning behind **normal punches**."

"Saitama-sensei naming sense is just kinda weird," Deku says as he scratches his cheek.

Kirishima was baffled.

"Saitama-sensei has a special move called "normal punches"?"

Saitama's normal punches were anything but normal. They had the power to casually shatter stone with nothing but air pressure. The fact that Saitama literally announces of their normality despite their abnormality only added to the abnormality.

"It's an intimidation tactic you ding nut."

The old man's cane makes a hearty **Thwack** upon Deku's head.

"A warning to his opponents that he isn't taking things seriously," the old man explains and it is then Deku understands it all. It was a warning that he had strength to spare. An intimidation tactic not unlike the cocky grin that stretches across All Might's face as he dives into a fray.

Kirishima tries to wrap his head around Saitama's naming sense, "so, Serious Series is when you go all out?"

"No, it's when he's being courteous to his opponent."

Gran Torino was starting to have concerns over the common sense of the newest generation.

"…..I don't get it."

"You claim to be a man don't you? Would you accept defeat with a smile if your opponent was just playing around?"

Gran Torino was starting to lose his patience, until it all clicked for Kirishima. Tears were welling up in his eyes once again.

"Of course not…...so that's it…dammit...that's so manly!"

Even if he was the strongest, Saitama would still acknowledge them; those kindred spirits that took pride in their strength and sought the thrill of battle just as he did long ago.

"So that's it," was what Deku mutters as he zones out to take notes. The old man was for a moment a bit happy, until he spotted another elderly person far off in the distance who wasn't there before sitting on a log by the trees. The face could not be seen, hidden behind a green helmet with a singular glowing eye and a respirator type device. It was quite literally a Zaku II in a suit. From the unsettling presence exuded it could only have been one person.

" **All For One** ," was what Gran Torino uttered under his breath.

"What's wrong?"

Gran Torino motions his hands.

"Red head, you move along know."

"It's Red Riot."

"Don't play smart with me because I know you aint."

/*Shimura had some rude friends.*/

Gran Torino positions himself between the kids and the king of night who was more machine than man and tells the red headed one to run away, but to Gran Torino's displeasure, Kirishima stayed. Gran Torino would have to live with that fact as he turns to the king of night.

"So it was you all along."

Deku was confused with what was happening.

"Who?"

The League of Villains had been underestimated many times and Gran Torino had a suspicion of who was behind the group, but he didn't want to believe it to be true. Even so, that inkling of suspicion was why he was here. Despite that, he could not fathom the final boss revealing himself so soon. He was only expecting that annoying youth and his gang of problem children. There was not enough backup to handle a final boss among the professional heroes gathered at this site.

/*I'm not here to fight. I'm here like any other teacher; to bear witness to my student's growth as well as his.*/

Gran Torino stares at Saitama's young apprentice. If things turned sour, he was their only hope against All For One. Gran Torino didn't like it, but he had to keep the conversation going.

"You seem to have picked a very troublesome one."

/* It's the troublesome ones that truly impress you. Sometimes I feel like the student has already become the teacher. Speaking of students, has All Might finally accepted that he isn't immortal?*/

"That's an odd thing to say from someone who could be considered as such."

/*I'm just old. It is inevitable for old to be replaced by new. Such is the case with this society just as it is the case with Greek Mythology. The son usurps the father. History has always been about the learner surpassing the master. If only All Might had family, though considering that man didn't even have the time of day to groom a successor himself speaks volumes.*/

Gran Torino was told that his old student had passed One For All onto the student Nedzu recommended and Nighteye had trained. All Might for all of his life was a man married to his profession and spent every living second as a hero even as his body was giving out. Honestly, it was about time All Might thought of retirement, but Gran Torino knew he was hypocritical to think that. Heroes were always risking their lives and a peaceful retirement is but a fantasy to many.

"You know firsthand, being undone by a power you yourself fathered."

/* **One For All**? Still, that power, it does not compare to his **Symbol of Peace**.*/

"…."

One For All was just a quirk and thus wasn't anything really special even if it possessed the unique property of being able to be passed onto someone else. Out of all the holders of One For All, All Might with his charisma as the **Symbol of Peace** had the biggest impact on society at large by giving rise to the current Age of Heroics. This current age was built upon the ruins of the age fathered by the man before him.

All For One was cupping his hands together.

/*Memes are the genes of the soul. Memes entwined with genes. The Symbol of Peace and One For All.*/

"What're you saying?"

Not everyone was enthralled with the Symbol of Peace. While hope was seeded, not all of it was the kind All Might hoped for. Some hoped for the eradication of that false hope. Just as heroes are created by villains, villains are in turn created by heroes in an infinite cycle.

/*Nothing really. When memes are seeded, you never know what will sprout. When I told my young apprentice that the best villains hide within the shadows, did you know what he did?*/

"….."

All For One was up to his usual antics. Gran Torino knew he shouldn't take his words too seriously.

/*He played stealth games.*/

It was hard to understand someone so far removed from modern humanity. Saitama was the same in that regard.

"…I'm too young to understand that type of humor or that reference you're trying to make."

/*A little outdated even in my youth honestly even with all the HD re-master collections.*/

Gran Torino was staring down at All For One, ready to react to a moment's notice. A finger set to the speed dial on his cell phone. Deku was alert and on his toes ready to act.

/*You're being overly cautious. I like to believe we're the rational sort. I'm only here to observe. With that boy behind you, there's nothing I can really do anyways. If I act now, it will be inevitable defeat for me.*/

"Yet you still have the guts to be here?"

Deku could sense the animosity in the air. Kirishima was choking on it.

/*The boy behind you doesn't even know who I am. Are you really going to drag him in a struggle he shouldn't be concerned with?*/

Deku understands the implications. While he doesn't know who this masked suited man was, the man clearly knew him. The only connection Deku could think of was something involving Saitama-sensei. Considering Saitama's strength, it shouldn't be a stretch that many people kept tabs on him from heroes, villains and the government alike.

/*On the flip side, there isn't anything that boy can do either if he wants to keep steadfast to the path of a hero he has come to believe in. He's only a hero in training after all. If he acts preemptively, he'll lose the future he lives for.*/

"You basta…."

/* As I said, I'm only here to observe so rest assured friend of Shimura. Shall we watch the events unfold together? I don't have many friends, but you already know who's responsible for that.*/

* * *

UA and various associates were on high alert. Even Gran Torino came out of his retirement once he caught wind of principal Nedzu's suspicions regarding Saitama and his disciple. A part of that old bag of bones wanted to see what kind of disciple that man had picked and another simply remembered Saitama's terrible track record of being misunderstood.

As time ticked away, with both hands of the clock pointing directly upward, the gears of fate started to turn in the worst way possible. Snipe curses himself for not carrying a full sized rifle. His weapons did not have the required effective range. He could only stay hidden within the leaves of a distant tree. The Pussycats were warned of the League of Villains in advance, but they did not expect them to come by the air in a huge basket being carried by a large flying beast with its brains spilling out. They also didn't expect two people in Shinketsu High uniforms either, or that large camera they were carrying. Snipe with his perfect accuracy was contemplating his next action.

 _"_ _Is that camera rolling live?"_

A gust of wind signals their arrival. On the side of the basket, **Tsubasa Transport** is clearly visible on the side along with obnoxious music.

"It's Shigaraki!"

A child named Kouta runs up to the man with murder hands with an unsettling sense of glee as his aunt tries to impede his movements. For Kouta, Shigaraki was one of the sane few that existed in this world like him that spoke out against the madness of this world. The League of Villains entered the scene for all to see. All of the students of class 1-A recognized the man with the hands from their meeting first hand at the staged attack on USJ. Now it seemed that LoV was called upon again for more training exercises, or at least that's what the students believed.

「Let's Play…what should be the name of this game?」

"This isn't a game," was what Spinner says. Regardless of how well they got along on the couch, once the controllers were off, their relationship wasn't all too great.

「Life is a game. Even if it's a shitt* one.」

"We don't gotta upload everything on our Let's Play Channel."

「What're you saying? I just want to give our subscribers something different for a change.」

The Pussy Cats bit their lips. Other pro heroes were lying in wait. Even with perfect accuracy, Snipe wasn't sure of the consequences of taking a shot, but he takes one anyway.

*click*

 _"_ _No ammo?"_

Checking his bandolier, he wasn't carrying bullets. He was carrying **nothing** at all. His hands were empty. He was supposed to be hidden among the leaves, alone in his secluded vantage point up in a tree, but he knew someone or something was near, even if he sensed **nothing**.

「*GAME OVER*」

It was then to his horror that Snipe discovered he wasn't even wearing his gas mask. He sees smoke envelope the area. An unknown gas quickly fills his lungs and as he falls to the ground, the last thing he sees is a green gas mask not unlike the one he normally wore. The radio in his hands drops onto the grass.

"What's wrong?!…Snipe?…SNIIIIIIPE?!"


	14. Chapter 14: The SubT Empire Strikes Back

Chapter 14: The Subterranean Empire Strikes Back

The boy in a green gas mask and helmet looms over the fallen pro hero. The hero's equipment was already stripped off by one of his weirder compatriots with an unusual "quirk". The pro hero couldn't sense them at all regardless of his experience, which could be chalked up to a side effect of that same "quirk". Mustard didn't really care about the specifics. The method in which Snipe was sniffed out also didn't really concern him. As far as he was concerned, _"Kacchan"_ was slang for explosives and that weird compatriot of his claimed to have a nose for such things. Trying to get on the same wavelength was a fool's errand. His companions had moved on towards the lodgings and Mustard was left responsible for securing the unconscious hero.

Tying Snipe up and stuffing his mouth with a dirty sock. It was too easy. He normally thought of himself as a rational sort, a cut above even the students of UA, yet it wasn't a hero trainee defenseless before him, but a pro hero. Checking his surroundings to insure he was alone, he started to gloat.

"Hey…hey…aren't you supposed to be a pro hero? That doesn't make much sense to me….how did you even get your license in the first place? Don't ya think it's not right?"

It was an unbelievable thing. Someone not even considered an adult based on the black school uniform he wore had got the jump on a pro hero. It wasn't right. A "mob character" like Mustard was able to overcome an existence known as a hero. No, it was precisely because he was a mere unassuming background mob that such a thing was even possible. Opponents with long range capabilities needed to be neutralized to ensure Shigaraki's safety during this "public showing". He wanted to pull out his revolver, but remembers that killing anyone here would be against the wishes of their "shadowy orchestrator".

"Target secured, ready for extraction."

The black misted figure is radioed in to recover one of the spoils of this operation.

"Understood."

Kurogiri had no choice but to participate in this farce, or else Shigaraki would have actually suggested tying balloons to captured targets. Spinner was disappointed that they wouldn't be using the recovery system he had learned from video games.

* * *

"Keep your eyes trained on him boy. Don't let him leave your sight," was what the short old man instructed him to do.

Deku wasn't really sure what was going on, but he was told to keep his eyes on the one presumably called "All For One". From the conversation earlier, this "machine" in a suit was probably related to All Might in some way. With allusions to Greek mythology, the one before him was probably trying to imply the fact he played a hand in the number one hero's origin story. If things weren't so intense, Deku would have bombarded the figure before him with questions, yet he knew that most villains were liars by nature. Those that told the truth were even trickier.

/* Uncertainty is something all younglings need to overcome.*/

That was the truth. The lack of information was disconcerting. The scene before him could all be a ruse. It could be a school exercise created to correct his flaws. It could be nothing more than a distraction as some behind the scenes orchestrator acts behind the scenes with him out of the picture. Deku had trusted the short old man after reasoning he knew of Saitama-sensei, but all those who know of Saitama-sensei may not necessarily have the best interests for him despite what his heart told him.

 _"Saitama-sensei…"_

Someone that acknowledges Saitama-sensei could not be a bad person, but the old man and the cyborg both talked as if they knew of Saitama-sensei. A hero's strength can be admired by both heroes and villains alike. Deku could sense the smile behind the cyborg's mask and he didn't like it.

/*Is that a piece of rebar?*/

Ever since that incident, Deku had begun the habit of carrying rebar to be used as a ranged weapon as well as makeshift hand cuffs that could not be picked.

"I'm sorry," was what Deku mutters under his breath.

Before Gran Torino could even blink, his hands were cuffed as well as his legs.

"What are you doing? Wait…"

In front of Gran Torino, All For One was in the same predicament. Gran Torino didn't even blink and he missed what happened. Even so, Gran Torino could sense no anxiety behind All For One's mask as if these turn of events were all according to plan. Even on the floor in a defenseless state lying on the ground, All For One still had the gall to act like he had the high ground.

/*All your life, you were but a puppet; subject to the strings of fate, but you shed those did you not?*/

It was an obvious jab at his balding head and the strength he gained in exchange.

"Ignore his words, he's just throwing a bone or two," Gran Torino pleads.

/*Maybe you should shed those last strings and …. */

Deku cuts the masked man off, having grown tired of the conversation that seemed to lead nowhere.

"So I should punch you is what you're saying?"

/*…*/

That shut him up.

Deku hoists All For One like a sack of potatoes and carries him over his shoulder along with Gran Torino.

"Wait. I have a license in my back pocket if I could only reach it," as Gran Torino pleads to Saitama's disciple.

While the bent rebar prevented his movements, he knew they were nothing for All For One. Gran Torino was still tense as a hero should never be too comfortable.

After all, a villain only needs one good day.

* * *

Shigaraki descends to Earth, turning the basket which restrained him and his "party members" into ash. The breeze carries the remnants until nothing remains.

「Ladies and those that can't be called gentle, good day to you all. Don't mind my meat shields.」

Shigaraki talks with an unsettling enthusiasm. It was a wonder why he had an internet following in the first place. Then again, there was always an unsettling chunk of the populace that gravitated to and supported extremists like Stain. Shigaraki differed in that he hadn't been incriminated of anything thus far. The Wild Wild Pussycats and the teachers of UA were unsure what to think. The leader of the League of Villains just so happened to appear right in front of them alongside two students from Shinketsu high; a boy with his arms crossed in a triumphant manner and a girl holding up a camera that seemed a little too heavy. The boy gives a salute.

"THANK YOU FOR RECEIVING US!"

"Could you like crank down the volume, fam? The microphone…. "

The boy then proceeds to apologize to the girl without really taking into account of what she said.

"SORRY!"

The male of the two bows his head in one direction, still speaking in such a way that seemed to ignore his classmate's words. Then he bows in front of the Pussycats after remember what appropriate volume meant.

"Please treat us well. I hope this joint camping experience will enrich our bonds from now and the future."

While the true status of LoV is known by most pro heroes, the students who attended hero schools were still in the dark. Taking advantage of this fact, they had gotten students to join them in the past like Monoma who was still missing. Right now, LoV has taken in a few students from other schools and had just nonchalantly referred to them as "meat shields".

" _Aizawa, monitor him."_

That was the order from Nedzu for Aizawa. Keeping in under the erasing hero's gaze, it was hoped that the leader of LoV could be captured discreetly without notifying the public, thus the Shinketsu girl with the camera needed to be corralled away sometime in the coming future. This was apparently supposed to be a joint exchange between aspiring heroes in training according to Shigaraki's little explanation to the students.

Tiger and Ragdoll were tasked with locating Snipe who had lost contact with the rest of the heroes. The Search quirk of Ragdoll's should prove invaluable for that effort.

Any suspicious actions would be responded to in an instant. They needed to detain him without the students from catching on. Even if lethal action was required, it was hoped that it could be passed off as a drill, since the general public still perceives Shigaraki and his ilk as nothing more than actors playing the role of villains. To be fair, such an image was technically true considering the jobs LoV took on after the attack on USJ. Aizawa checks the time on his wrist.

"It's noon."

Despite the relaxed attitude the students had, all the adults were on high alert. It was supposed to be an easy capture, until the **Subterranean Empire** attacked.

* * *

For centuries, the Subterranean peoples were forced underground by the surface dwellers. Despite what forces they could gather and despite being the true people of the Earth, the expedition to the surface lead by the king of that time centuries ago was thwarted. They were thwarted by a single surface dweller.

With four arms and each wielding a blade of magma, the **Subterranean King** at 4m in height struck an intimidating figure. Despite his obvious strength among his peers, he still was doubtful of his chances against the surface dwellers. Even so, he swallowed down that fear.

 _"We are ants."_

He still remembers the old tale passed through generations pertaining to the ultimate fate of his ancestor. With one swift kick by an **unassuming looking surface dweller garbed in yellow** , he was killed instantly. His ancestor was unable to get off one swipe of his fours blades.

Despite the walls to their goals, they longed for the surface. When the current Subterranean King was but a tiny thing, nothing more than a prince among many numerous other princes, his uncle took him up once to the surface. It was a time before he was saddled with the responsibility with the fate of their race.

 _"….."_

The small prince did not know what to think. The earth was beneath their feet and as he looked up, he saw an expanse of nothingness. His uncle laughs at his lack of appreciation.

 _"A world with no walls or ceilings. No borders or limits. In this world, we are not simply food for the earth. It's a world for the truly free dammit."_

He remembers the tremors, the earthquakes and the collapsing tunnels that took the life of his older brothers, his father, his mother and his childhood sweetheart. The Subterranean people were food for the earth. That was the truth taught by the subterranean priests. The earth would every once in a while hunger and consume a number of his people at random. Whether a Subterranean was born royalty, as a worker or as a soldier, the earth would consume them all without discrimination. His people had endured for as long as they remembered.

Despite the desire to ascend, they were pulled to the earth. They were pulled not by gravity, but by fear.

 _"If I am to die, I will not die as feed."_

Those were his uncle's last words before he disappeared to the surface. His uncle never returned, but that outcome was obvious. Against the terrible monsters on the surface, the Subterranean people could never hope to win. His people were born, lived and died underground. Food for the earth they were, but the earth was generous. If the surface dwellers discovered them, it would be nothing but genocide. The Subterranean King had planned to live out the rest of his days within the earth, but **one day** he was approached by a **stranger** who claimed to be from the surface.

「Pfffahahahaha. .」

His face and body covered under an assortment of hands. This strange creature which somewhat resembled what a surface dweller was supposed to look like was brought before him by his elite guard. The strangers face was forced into the ground. All had to bow before the king.

"What's so funny!"

「The earth is hungry? Do you worship it like a god or something? It's no wonder you the lot of you have never seen the sun. No one here is especially bright.」

"If you're so smart, then tell me the answer."

「It's a good thing I was allowed to bring guests. If you want to know the truth behind the "earth's hunger", then I have something perfect to show you. 」

The stranger drops two rectangles on the floor. Something called a "GPS" and something else called a "phone".

「Just follow the directions to that "Forest Lodge" and come to the surface when I give you the signal. You lot can manage that at least can't you?」

One of the elite guards restraining the stranger could not stand the way the weird looking stranger spoke as if he was above them.

"Such disrespect to the king, I…."

The stranger merely touches the guard and the guard is simply reduced to dust. Everyone in the king's audience was stricken with fear with one exception. Mustering his courage and calming his shaking body, the king bellows in defiance to the random act of violence.

"Sorcerer! What foul magics did you cast?"

「Is this supposed to be some shitt* old school RPG or something? Well this place is a sh*t hole.」

The stranger or rather, the sorcerer then summons a devil in a puff of black mist.

「I'm done here Kurogiri.」

With an obscured face and strange, yet very classy clothes, he too resembled something of an accursed surface dweller. Like some sort of hallucination, the two disappear. If the king was dealing with the devil, then he had no choice but to respond, lest he be turned to dust too. The assortment of hands that decorated the sorcerer's body did not consist of merely one species. He spied the hand of a Terror Lizard. It was obvious that the stranger had visited the other nations under the Earth before appearing before him.

Even the Subterranean King feared the leaderless Terror Lizard Clan. Despite them losing their Ancient King centuries ago, the Terror Lizard Clan was a force to be reckoned with in the world beneath the earth. The **Ancient King** was a giant, towering above any Subterranean King in history a thousand fold, yet he still met his demise at the hands of the monsters that dwelled on the surface.

* * *

The Subterranean King along with his army were an exceptionally stealthily lot. Centuries of avoiding surface detection honed their skills. In the distance, the king spies a group of younglings. With the sorcerer's tablets, they were guided to the unfortunate truth.

 **Serious Stomp**

With a stomp of his foot, a youngling causes the very earth to tremor.

"These tremors….," were all the words one scared soldier could utter.

The Earth was hungry, that was what the priests had made everyone believe.

"The quakes…the quakes.," were all the words another scared soldier could utter.

The king could not hold back his feelings. Under his breath, his whispers grow in volume, yet he reins his feelings back again.

"They …..they…..they…did it…..They WERE THE CAUSE OF THE TREMORS. IT'S THEM. The quakes are. It's their fault that…."

The king did not know what to do with this truth. The Subterranean priests were wrong. It was not the earth's hunger that caused his parents, his brothers and his lover to perish. It was and always has been the surface dwellers.

"My king, what are your orders?"

The king steels his resolve and observes the other surface dwelling younglings. Some of them were shaken. Shaken just like he and his men were, thus not every surface dweller was created equal. An abnormally strong surface dweller was but an anomaly. That was something the king had concluded. The sorcerer and that devil must have been surface dwellers too. The fact that his soldiers could lay their hands on that stranger meant that these surface dwellers were far from immortal. Wars cannot be won on the backs of individuals after all. Even if that one youngling was a match for 100 of his men, he still had thousands more. Seeing the non-uniformity of his opponents, he was convinced of his people's superiority.

"These surface dwellers are no soldiers. These surface dwellers have no empire."

In fact, eyeing one of the smaller younglings with odd sphere like protrusions from out of his head, the Subterranean King knew that not all surface dwellers were strong. The surface dwellers were taunting them. The surface dwellers had known of their existence all this time. The surface dwellers creating earthquakes for fun as a playground game; it infuriated the king. What was thought to be the hunger of the earth was nothing more than a past time for the surface dwellers.

*pant*pant*pant*

The king gazes up at the surface and sees something he did not see in his youth. A giant yellow gem suspended in the vast blue nothingness accompanied by strange globs of white fibrous "water sand". It was strange sand that would melt into water that occasionally formed on the surface.

"We ATTACK when the Gem is perpendicular to the earth."

* * *

Deku wasn't sure what was going on. On his way back to the Forest Lodge with two seniors on his shoulders and Kirishima behind him, he saw his classmates and his teachers fighting. They were fighting an army of identical looking, hulking behemoths with multiple eyes and odd teeth. They were holed up in a fortress of ice and earth, courtesy of Todoroki and Pixie-bob.

/*The self proclaimed True People of the Earth…so that's what he was planning.*/

Gran Torino who was convinced he had his head screwed on correctly wasn't quite sure what was going on, but All For One had an inkling.

"Are you saying you're not behind this?"

Gran Torino could not see All For One's face, but he knew the dastardly fellow was smiling. It grated on him. This was a monster that stood above others while lurking in darkness. This was the monster that killed Nana.

*Thud*

Gran Torino was on the ground along with All For One.

"Watch it. I'm ol…"

The boy had disappeared from sight focusing his efforts on the identical looking creatures before him. All For One disappears from Gran Torino's view as he sinks into the ground through a pool of disgusting looking mud.

* * *

The Subterranean Knight Commander had led the initial charge against the surface dwellers holed up in their pathetic nest. Most of the surface dwellers before them were mere younglings, though there were some adults among them. With one swipe of his magma blade, he was able to sever the hand of a scruffy looking adult surface dweller.

"Not a quirk?"

Those were the words of that particular surface dweller. The surface dwellers were not as strong as the legends said. The majority of them were weak. To think they let such a weak species monopolize the surface makes him angry at his leaders, but also thankful that they were able to discern the truth.

"Tiger!"

As one of his men squeezed a muscular looking male surface dweller that dressed like female in his hands, the subterranean knights realized one thing.

"So all those stories were lies…"

When his men got closer to the nest, walls of earth and ice sprouted from the ground. Spikes of ice and stone could not pierce their thick hides.

"Time to show off my hot spirit!"

His men were pushed away from the walls by a strong **gale**.

"Momo, get those cannons ready."

"So you can make stuff like that too?"

"Didn't you watch the Sports Festival?"

Before the knight commander could realize what happened, they were bombarded. Holes appeared in the flesh of his unarmored grunts, yet he was still standing. It did not matter what weapons the surface dwellers employed, they had the advantage of strength and numbers. Mere toys would only delay the inevitable. His detachment was over a hundred strong and the younglings they faced could not have been more than a few dozen.

"CHARGE!"

His fellow knights in arms charged the fortress, but their feet were caught onto something sticky.

 **Acid Veil**

His men were covered in a corrosive substance, but it did not burn through their hides. A pink surface dweller female screams.

"Kaminari, now!"

A yellow haired brat appeared before them, rushing into the middle of their formation. It was a sort of suicide attack.

 **"Kamaniari Kamikaze!"**

Lightning was discharged, but he and his fellow knights were people of the ground. It was clear from the face of that yellow surface dweller that these pathetic creatures had no inkling of intelligence.

 **AP Shot**

The knight commander was disarmed. His dominant hand lay on the floor.

"If you can't damage them from a distance, go point blank."

"Cheeky brat! I'll show you why we are the True People of the Earth!"

The sticky balls were nothing. Taking clods of dirt with him, he rushes toward the petulant child who was carrying the infantile yellow one on his back. Quickly picking up a magma blade from one of his fallen brothers, he should have been able to take that brat's head with one sweep. The distance was nothing, yet before he knew it, he was in a world he did not know.

The knight commander was surrounded by an expanse of blue. As he looked around he saw unbelievable things.

"The Gem? The white sand? This close?"

It was then the knight commander experienced the sensation of falling.

 ***CRASH***

The knight commander crashes into the earth with a might sound. As he looked towards the Gem which was blinding his eyes, he could see his comrades populate the empty expanse these surface dwellers called the "sky". As he lay on the ground, the same green haired youngling from earlier; the quake causer stands over him.

"You," were all the words the knight commander could utter at the moment.

The youngling grabs him by the neck, hoisting him up in the air with strength that defied his small frame. The youngling was not amused in the slightest. There was no hint of fear in his voice, only a seething anger. The youngling had a distant gaze that seemed to pierce through him. It was terrifying.

"Who do you work for?"

 ***Thud*Thud*Thud*Thud***

It was a noise the knight commander heard over a hundred times over.

"My soldiers…you?"

As the knight commander looked around, his detachment over a hundred strong was dispatched in an instant. The youngling did not gloat over what he did. For the youngling, what he did was a matter of course, like digging tunnels for his people.

"You're not answering my questions. Who are you?"

His brothers in arms were nothing against this particular surface dweller.

"We…..we…we're ants."

*Thud*

The youngling throws him onto the earth. Tears were forming in his many eyes.

"We're ants."

The knight commander was crying.

"…"

"We're ants!"

The dream of taking back the surface was a foolish dream. Forever and always, they would be trampled upon by those that dwelled on the surface. That was the way things were. They would live underground and die underground.

The knight commander shuts all of his eyes and opens them again."

"I'm….I'm still alive?"

The youngling in front of him was not amused.

 **Stomp**

The knight commander's leg becomes useless and he continued to cry.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Who do you work for?"

"The Subterranean King."

"Who?"

"Please….show mercy."

"That's enough Midoriya."

The scruffy looking surface dweller from before shows up again. What remained of his arm was wrapped up in cloth.

"We're ants…. We're ants…. We're ants…. We're ants…."

Such words reverberated through the grounds. There was not one Subterranean knight who wasn't sobbing. The grunts who served under the knights were sobbing even harder. Even as his own detachment failed, he was sure his king would send more.

"We're ants."

The Subterranean Knight Commander cried. He cried and cried, not fathoming the idea he had survived. He cried over his weakness. He cried over his powerless. He cried over his very existence. He hoped that if there was a next life, it would not have been as cruel as this one.

「Would viewers mistake us for some nature channel or something? Hmm… As you can see the mole people….. 」

"Sorceror!?"

The knight commander recognized the figure covered in hands. So right from the start, he and his people were set up. His people were lead astray. It was nothing more than a trap. He had to alert his king, but he no longer had the strength to talk.

A smile bloomed on the sorcerer's face.

It was so.

That was the sort of race humanity was. Regardless of what strength any individual possessed, the surface dwellers were all terrifying monsters. Right from the start, his people were nothing but ants. They were ants that had forgotten their position on the food chain. It was only natural for a species like his to go extinct.

Those were the final thoughts of the knight commander before he lost consciousness.

The day was still young, thus the Subterranean Empire would continue to foolishly struggle for something they could never obtain.


	15. Chapter 15: Interrogations, Plus Chaos

Ch15: Interrogations, Plus Chaos

The forest had grown silent. The battle at noon had ended in victory for the heroes and their trainees. The Subterranean threat had ceased its assault for now, but for pro heroes who have lived their lives on the edge remained vigilant. For them, it was obvious the attack would not be the last. Right now, there were beasts outside. To leave the Forest Lodge meant exposing the students to possible attack from the "enemy", an enemy unknown.

Tiger was being checked for injuries along with Kaminari in the nursing bay.

Ragdoll was on alert with her "search" quirk, checking things from a tower with Mandalay at her side ready with her "telepathy".

Pixie-bob along with students like Todoroki, Momo, and Mineta were repairing, as well as preparing defenses. Walls of earth and snow, cannons by every window and claymore mines placed in strategic choke points with sticky balls to go along with them. Students with quirks that could create things were of greater value as support in this war scenario.

Students who could attack with some range like Bakugo were forced into sentry duty.

In the large gymnasium area, Aizawa gazes at Koda's progress. Stone faced Koda was interrogating the beasts they had captured, with the hope that his ability to control animals would be of use. The monstrosities were restrained with a combination of Sero's tape, Ibara's vines and Kojiro's sticky glue dubbed "Cemedine".

Kendo with large hands, her friend Yui who could alter her size, TetsuTetsu with a body of steel, Jurota with a body of a beast and Sato with a cupcake by his side all excelled in close quarters were all present to act in case the hundred or so prisoners broke free from the constraints. The beasts were each quite strong and had numbers which the heroes did not possess.

The rivalry seen between Class A and B was certainly dissolved during this crisis as they worked towards a common goal.

The interrogation wasn't going well. The look-alike monstrosities that appeared from the earth yielded no useful information, or at least information that most people could comprehend.

 _"Subterranean King. Subterranean Empire. Surface Dwellers. The True People of the Earth."_

The more and more those self proclaimed "True People of the Earth" talked, the more it sounded like some sort of nonsensical cult to Aizawa.

They were against an enemy unknown. Abilities, numbers and intent, all fields were empty as there was nothing in the criminal records of such a group. They had lost contact with Snipe earlier and **Deku had run off after realizing he had left Kirishima behind.** If it wasn't for Deku's impeccable speed, he would not have even authorized him going out on his own to search. The boy was their strongest playing piece after all. He could cross the entire playing board in a single move in response to an enemy "drop". Aizawa has a radio in hand for that reason.

「As expected of you heroes. Paranoid bunch you guys are.」

Shigaraki sat in a corner under the supervision of Aizawa with the Shinketsu girl filming every minute of it. Most of the students and the teachers were mobilized, preparing defenses for an inevitable assault. Aizawa with his one remaining hand points to a dozen or so tied up Subterraneans that were held prisoner. They were restrained to the floor by Mineta's pop off sticky balls.

"Friends of yours?"

Shigaraki with his chapped lips and his unkempt appearance could only answer with this.

「You think a shut-in NEET like me is capable of having that many friends?」

While such an excuse would work on some, it would not work in Aizawa who sported an equally unkempt appearance with his wild hair and stubble. Neglecting his appearance didn't stop people from being approached by others. Aizawa knew that fact better than anyone as he had to put up with Hizashi, aka Present Mike who had an especially loud mouth.

"Well, you're even popular with children."

 _"He noticed me!"_

Kouta who was a blatant fan of the handyman was listening to the entire conversation from behind the door. His aunt was busy with other things at the moment, like the hulking beasts that were outside. Right now, there was no one supervising little Kouta. When Shigaraki was taken away to a corner by that unscrupulous looking hero, it was only natural for Kouta to tail them.

「Like attracts like after all. Fellow orphans we are.」

"How did you pray tell know that?"

「Orphans like us aren't too uncommon in this society. Hero work is dangerous after all. Everyone alive today has a story like that. Grandpa got into an accident. Uncle killed by some mob boss. Mother carved up in some alleyway by a mugger. …..Father…he..…There must be a reason why a kid surrounded by heroes looks so unhappy…..because something like that…something like that happened to me. 」

Aizawa was growing impatient; yet judging by the way their prisoner carried himself, "physical" interrogation would not work. Aizawa had little choice but to let Shigaraki drone on and on with the hope of securing some useful information.

「Father you see was the son of a couple of heroes, but he was given away to a foster home. 」

Kouta thinks back to his parents. Of how they died in the line of duty, thus abandoning him. They put the happiness of others above their own son. Children are nothing more than baggage to the creatures known as heroes. Passed onto relative to relative, or if no relative exists, passed onto any one of the many orphanages in this country. It was then Kouta remembered what Shigaraki had said in that interview months ago.

 _「It's not my fault._ _」_

The power to **decay** , a quirk that was only useful for breaking things and in those fledgling years as a toddler, such uncontrollably dangerous quirks would occasionally lead to tragedy with no one to blame, but quirks themselves.

 _"Everyone is insane. Killing each other like idiots with their quirks."_

Kouta hated quirks; he hated this "hero" society where his parents were praised for walking towards their own deaths. There was no end to morons picking a dangerous field of work because they had the right "quirk". He hated how he was left alone, yet he wasn't special at all. A tragedy brought by random chance because of the existence of quirks.

"So you blame heroes for everything don't you?"

「You must be blind to not see the sh*tty game that is this society. 」

Aizawa delivers a kick to Shigaraki's side. It was an interrogation after all. The camera girl was filming every second of it. Even with the live stream going on, Aizawa did not care much for public image compared to some others; he was an underground hero afterall.

「*cough* All of these children are aspiring heroes aren't they? They must be rejoicing right now.」

Mulling over the past few hours, information was priority. Relying on his signature trick, his erasing quirk, he had lost an arm. The enemy they were facing did not use quirks. Abilities, numbers and motives were all unknowns at this point. The only one who seemed to know anything was this man in front of them, who probably played a hand orchestrating this very event. This was certainly not a time for rejoicing.

Aizawa questions the mad man in front of him.

"Rejoicing?"

Shigaraki's hands become outstretched as if making a grand reveal.

「 Rejoice! For your dreams have come true! With all these kids in danger, it must be bargain day!」

Koda and Sato were unnerved for a second, but Aizawa was unperturbed.

"So villains obsessed with their own voice are not limited to comic books."

「 You lot looked up to All Might when you were young. Studied hard to get into UA, just like All Might. When….」

"Not all people decide to become heroes because of All Might. Your view is rather narrow."

「Sure. sure. Some do it out of some misplaced revenge. Some do it to make money off their quirk. They'll use their earnings to support their poor family that's squeezed by today's hero based economy. On the playgrounds, they'll play heroes and villains. Of course it's make believe, it's easy to get absorbed by these games and before they know it, there on the frontlines…like now...」

With Shigaraki's declaration, he seemed to be expecting something and Aizawa was on guard, but as the minutes passed, it was clear nothing was happening. It was clear Shigaraki was simply playing them.

「Kids fighting proxy wars that have nothing to do with their lives… Thinking it's cool to fight ….. **Heroes don't need a reason to fight.** After all, for all of you, it has only ever been a sh*tty game. 」

"So you'll tell us who we're up against? Considering how they targeted you as well these past few hours, it stands to reason, they aren't your allies."

* * *

The reconnaissance unit that was observing the initial attack force had retreated once that green haired behemoth appeared, but upon retreating they stumbled on potential hostages.

Two surface dwellers, one red haired youngling and a diminutive elder. The youngling was carrying the elder who had appeared to be bound for unknown reasons according to the scouts. They were supposed to be easy prey, but they appeared tougher than they appeared.

Tackling one of the scouts with explosive force and with the aid of a stolen magma blade, the elder was able to break free from his constraints. He proved to be quite troublesome for the scouts with the way he bounced around.

"Size and numbers you have, but speed you do not."

*Ffffkrrrrshhzzzwooooom..woom..woooom..*

The swirl of a glowing blade kept the scouts at bay, for anything foolish enough to enter would be cut to pieces.

 ***Pssshhh***

One of the scouts had lost an arm in that exchange, but the tide had changed once they got hold of the red haired youngling who was not as quick footed. With a hostage, the old man had to stop. It was then the reinforcements had arrived and the elder was eventually forced to retreat after severing thirty or so limbs.

Looking at the bodies of the injured, each cut from the elder's blade was a mere disabling one, yet it was clear the elder had the skill to land fatal blows if he was able to disable so many.

* * *

In an underground cave, lit by the light of a magma blade, the Subterranean King stands tall, but even so, he was at a loss. In that illuminated cave, the Subterranean King stands over a single prisoner of war, a red headed surface dweller. The Subterranean King looks at their prisoner. The subordinate responsible with restraining him was covered in cuts. It appeared that this youngling had quite the troublesome protective hide.

"Be thankful that my men were spared by your elder, that's why you're alive."

"…For reals?…"

"But as my men have lost their limbs, you shall share the same fate."

The youngling tenses up as the blade strikes his exposed forearm.

 **"Red Riot Unbreakable."**

 ***Pssssshhhhh***

If it was mere stone, the magma blade would have cut through his arm easily, but his arm appeared much tougher than stone. The magma blade was chipped. The hide seemed to have an annoyingly high melting point. The youngling winces, but does not make a sound.

"You can't be cut? That's quite troublesome, but appears you were still burnt."

*pant*pant*pant*

The youngling's transformation was not unnoticed by the Subterranean King.

"How long can you maintain that form?"

"Forever."

 ***Pssssshhhhh***

"GAhhhhhhh!"

"How many younglings does your military academy enroll?"

"Infinite."

 ***Pssssshhhhh***

"GAhhhhhhh!"

"Who was that green haired youngling and are there more of him? Any weaknesses?"

The red haired youngling smirks.

"He has none."

 ***Pssssshhhhh***

"GAhhhhhhh!"

"Enough jokes."

In a physical sense, Kirishima was not lying, but to Kirishima, Deku was far from being an invincible hero.

"A real man doesn't sell out his friends."

* * *

"You don't fear me?"

Kirishima may not have been considered that smart by many of his peers based on academic performance, but he knew one truth. Just because a hero is unbreakable does not mean they aren't human, in fact heroes are more human than anyone else.

 _"Of course I'm scared,"_ Kirishima thinks to himself.

A human is a strange type of creature that feels fear even if their own well being isn't threatened. A hero is a human who fears for the wellbeing of others over their own wellbeing. It's their defining trait and also their greatest weakness.

For that reason, Kirishima didn't want others to worry about him. He adamantly refused to become another's weakness. He did not want to become another's regret. For that reason he had to endure and survive.

 _"As long as you have a manly spirit, it doesn't matter what quirk you have,"_ were the words of Crimson Riot.

Kirishima had to endure. It was times like this his otherwise pedestrian quirk shined. He knew full well that Deku had gotten a lot of things on his plate ever since the internships ended. There were many things in life that Kirishima had not done. When push came to shove, he found himself lacking in guts. He had known Mina before going to UA and regrets not helping her in her time of need, but a man should live a life without regrets.

 _"Manly spirit….."_

 ***Pssssshhhhh***

The burns from his interrogator were unbearably painful, but he had resolved to change himself long ago. Appearance alone would not suffice. If someone looks troubled, he should not overlook them. For that reason, he had volunteered to be a test dummy for the power Deku himself was wary of. For that reason, he was stuck in this position. Even so, he did not blame anyone. As a man, he could not blame anyone.

Like always, a manly life is one without regret. A man must not become a source of regret for others.

His idol Crimson Riot feared death, but he feared feeling regret more. For that reason, Red Riot refused to burden someone else with his death.

 _"All you need is fightin' spirit,"_ were the words of Metal Bat.

All Red Riot needed to do was live.

The monster before him looks a bit troubled.

"You're quite the lively one aren't you?"

* * *

Receiving those burns, the pain must have been unbearable, yet the youngling did not yield. The youngling did not pass out regardless of what was done. The youngling was unbreakable. The Subterranean King could not help but feel respect. The youngling before him was no youngling.

He was a soldier whose loyalty put his own elites to shame.

"You're a fine soldier. I'll grant you that much."

At the entrance of the underground cave, a sentry approaches.

"My liege…..the Green Beast….he's breached our tunnels!"

It was only then the Subterranean King noticed the tiny tablet the enemy soldier carried, not unlike those that were gifted to him by the sorcerer.

 ***crush***

The Subterranean King crushes the tablet with his foot. This was the decisive moment.

"If they are attacking us right now with their strongest piece, then it only means that stronghold of theirs is unguarded. Most of the younglings aren't that strong!"

That was what the messenger suggests. They have no chance in a direct fight against that beast, but the beast was an outlier. The soldier in front of him was evidence of that. Without the beast guarding their little military academy, it was the perfect opportunity to gather hostages among the younglings. It was clear from the frontlines that not every surface dweller was suited for combat.

"The low-class knights and their grunts will run past the beast as a distraction."

"You're ordering them to die?!," was what escapes the messengers mandibles.

"Our elite forces will assault that little stronghold all at once! If we have some younglings hostage, that is the only way to beat back that beast! It's our only way to win this battle!"

The messenger salutes to his liege.

 **"TERRA VULT!**

* * *

It was silent outdoors, yet everyone remained vigilant. Those responsible for strengthening the Forest Lodge's static defenses were still at work. Mineta especially was unnerved, which was not lost on Pixie-Bob. The diminutive little pervert was always checking every corner, the ground and the ceiling while visibly shaking, completely expecting the monsters from outside to burst out of the woodwork. Though there were still places in the Lodge to be reinforced with traps, it was clear the grape boy was bleeding from overusing his quirk.

"Here eat this and take a rest."

Momo hands the boy a homemade meal replacement bar that Sato had prepared for all of his classmates. A myriad of quirks are dependent on a ready supply of food. Sato's abnormal strength was tied directly to the consumption of sugar. Momo's creation quirk used to create every mine and alarm that littered the Lodge's perimeter drew from her fat stores, so it was only natural to bring such things along to replenish said stores.

"…..…," were Mineta's only reaction.

Though he had calmed down, the fact he had no enthusiasm whatsoever hinted at a greater problem.

If yes, there should have been some quip about wanting to draw from Momo's "personal" supply.

If no, there should have been some quip about him not wanting the "twins" to shrink.

Mineta's only answer was silence. Mineta was completely out of it.

"The structural reinforcing is complete, so icy-hot, escort him to the hot springs. From the looks of it, you're looking rather sluggish too," is what Pixie-Bob orders Todoroki to do.

From overusing his ice half, Todoroki's body was below his optimum operating temperature. Food had to be rationed as it was unknown how long help would arrive considering the training camp's rather remote location. As they were fighting a war of attrition against an unknown enemy, everyone had to save their stamina by minimizing quirk usage. For that reason, Todoroki withheld using his fire power.

* * *

In his carelessness, Deku had left Kirishima and the old strangers behind when the Subterraneans appeared. The Forest Lodge was under attack, thus it was only natural for a hero to intercept. Lives in immediate danger are always higher in priority, but that was a mistake. When Deku had returned to the clearing, he was alone. Checking one of the freshly filled holes Deku understands what he must do.

 _"They're scared of us."_

Their enemy was cautious, filling up the holes after their initial assault, but it was done with haste. As Deku digs down and enters a large tunnel, he is met with resistance.

"The Beas….!"

With a punch, the sentry is smashed into a wall.

*Rumble**Rumble**Rumble**Rumble*

"The tremors….cave in imminent."

*Crash*

The ceiling collapses on top of them, but Deku is quick. He weaves through the tunnel to a safe area.

 _"The tunnels are fragile hastily made things."_

For that reason Deku had to be careful, in lest of Kirishima and those two old strangers being buried alive. For that reason he couldn't smash through the tunnels Willy Nilly.

Checking the GPS on his phone, he follows the marker disabling any resistance with a bone shattering kick to the shins.

Kirishima's cell phone was probably smashed to bits at this point, but that did not matter as long as he wasn't moved. It was a vexing thing, which is why Deku had to move quickly. The tunnels were dark with no light whatsoever. For that reason, he was thankful he had brought a clip on head light.

"TERRA VULT!

"TERRA VULT!

"TERRA VULT!

Instead of attacking him, his enemies simply ran past him with the intent he gave chase, but Deku quickly picked up on the ruse.

 _"They know they can't win against me. Only distractions."_

With that thought, Deku stops bothering to attack them and merely runs past them. The tunnels weren't sturdy. Without the hostages in tow, he had to limit his speed lest the shockwaves collapse the tunnels, but as long as the GPS was working, he knew roughly where he was.

"I am the elit….."

A large looking obstacle appears, but Deku simply runs past after breaking a knee or two. With the extensiveness of the tunnels, it would appear that this attack on the Lodge was something that was planned in advance. Thus it was only natural for Deku to destroy their combat potential if it presented itself.

* * *

Very few could deny the calming effects of hot springs, so it was only natural for even the most winded of people to sink back into their normal selves. When Mineta peered over the barrier between the hot springs into where the girls supposedly bathed, he was building up with "anticipation". Todoroki who was more acute of his surroundings didn't bother stopping him. When his gaze pierced through the steam, his eyes immediately turned white. Within the steam, he spied two very masculine figures. The more muscular of the two could be recognized right away as Tiger of the Wild Wild Pussy Cats who was wrapped in bandages. The other was known as Magne within LoV, though it wasn't like Mineta knew that.

"Gack."

There was only pity for whoever would have to clean the hot springs now contaminated with copious amounts of a certain someone's stomach contents.

As the Forest Lodge was under lockdown, the use of the hot springs was undergoing rotation. The girls that were originally scheduled to bathe had postponed going to the hot springs once they saw the two figures that had beat them to the women's bath.

Todoroki was absolutely unfazed by Mineta's antics. The enemy attacked at noon and thus many did not get the chance to eat. Todoroki puts his hand on Mineta's back and tells him this,

"It's only been around an hour. The cafeteria should be open. You need to maintain your battle potential."

For that reason, Todoroki had to soak up more heat and Mineta had to refill the contents of his stomach. Everyone needed to be on high alert of a potential attack, including the students.

The adults were busy setting up defenses bringing along any students that could aid them. Some students were blessed with quirks that could alter the terrain. Some students had quirks that allowed them to attack from a safe distance. Some students were simply the best in close quarters. Even so, there would invariably be some students that wouldn't be of much use during a lock down.

Such students were currently having lunch, the lunch that was postponed due to unforeseen camp crashers.

Mineta quickly joins the back of the waiting line behind Toru.

Toru's invisibility did not have direct combat potential. After confirming that their unknown enemy was effectively blind, preferring to use their other senses to navigate it was concluded she would only be liability.

Standing in front of the lunch line, Iida laments at his lack of duties. Iida's trademark speed was hampered by the tight spaces of the building. The teachers weren't willing to send him out to seek assistance.

「*Beef stew.*」

"Thank you."

Uraraka follows behind looking worse for wear. Uraraka's ability to make things float could be quite useful against foes that were accustomed to hugging the ground, until it was confirmed how heavy each of those monsters weighed. After expelling the contents of her breakfast, she was told to get lunch.

「*Mochi on the side.*」

"Thank you."

Toru notices something odd quite quickly.

"Wow, it's like she conveniently knows about our favorite foods, but I guess that's to be expected of a maid…."

The students didn't notice at all at first, but Toru being someone that did not stand out could pick up details others would overlook.

"Wait, why is Deku…..no…no…..must be hallucinating…"

Mineta interjects.

"That's some tacky hallucination."

「*Ta…cky?" 」

Something snapped.

"Yes, tacky….maid outfits are tacky….low level…..I mean if you really…."

There was something that could never be forgiven. Beginning as a quiet mutter, it turned into a passionate speech.

「*Since the dawn of time, there was the battle between those of the MOUNTAINS AND THOSE OF THE PLAINS. * 」

Mineta makes a snide remark while making inappropriate gestures with his hands. ༼ つ ͠° ͟ ͟ʖ ͡° ༽つ

"Battle? The mountains have already won! The plains cannot compete in terms of abundance."

His opponent puts her hand on her chin.

「*True long ago, but it all changed when civilization sprouted. * 」

Mineta jumps onto the counter to gain the high ground.

"What you say?" ლ(ಠ益ಠლ

His opponent then too jumps onto the counter to reach an even greater height. The serving counter had become something akin to a small stage and the rest of the diners assumed it was some sort of show to alleviate the stressful situation. A hand spreads out with all five fingers in defiance.

"Wait, Iida, isn't she the...," Uraraka tries to say before being cut off.

「* The fruits of civilization; frilly maid uniforms, nurse uniforms, knee socks, swim suits, aprons, garter belts and more! These were the great equalizers for those of the plains! It was no longer simply a battle of curves or volume. With the right ornaments, any figure is able to shine! * 」o(〃＾▽＾〃)o

Iida blinks for a moment and realizes that his benefactor, who restored his brother's future, was suddenly in front of him. Yet that realization had little impact compared to the ridiculous words that were being thrown around the lunch room and the gestures that were being made.

"How naive. You're just refusing to see the truth. Those of the flats will always have more in common with men. Girls like you can never win a battle of **pure femininity** against Twin Mountains!"

Wrapping herself in her arms the strangely familiar stranger continues to talk.

「*Even so, that femininity is something that is gained through development, therefore we the plains still possess something they'll never have!* 」

Mineta was not convinced and could only snidely remark, "And what is that?" ┌(▀Ĺ̯ ▀-͠ )┐

「* The charm of immaturity!* 」(*^▽^*)

*Pppppppppfffffft*

Uraraka who began drinking her tea had quickly spit it back out.

「* It's the paradox of purity and impurity, something that could only be cultivated by centuries of being covered up!* 」

Uraraka was confused with the topic of debate, parroting the words to herself, "purity and impurity?" (ఠ్ఠ ˓̭ ఠ్ఠ)

Mineta did not let up.

"You fool. Providing protection from the elements while preserving the ideal of nudity is what centuries of textile technology had always worked towards. Take Mt. Lady's form fitting…"

「*But of course, you who sees Mt. Lady as an ideal with her skin tight costume can never understand!* 」

"Clothes are but a distraction! Hiding that which all men dream of! Mountains or plains, none of that matters."

「*None of that matters?!*」（＊〇□〇）…！

"A true man covets both even if he prefers one over the other! Clothes have always been the enemy!" ೕ(•̀ㅂ•́ )

Mineta had cornered his opponent. It was his win, until Toru joined in the conversation.

 **"Distraction?.….Without them, people like me would be completely unnoticeable!"**

It was Toru's complete victory.

"….You're right!?" ｍ(｡≧Д≦｡)ｍ

Mineta gets on his knees and prostrates himself in front of the floating uniform. Toru's charm could only be realized because of clothes. Clothes were never the enemy. It was an irrefutable truth.

As Toru and Mineta were conversing, there was inevitably muttering and scribbling.

 _"I couldn't win…but…Pop-Off + Light Refraction…combining the two…..yes of course…why didn't I think of that combo before….. Invisible adhesive balls…. Invisible Girl has limited combat potential…..the weakness of Grape Juice is that his balls are too noticeable…could this be the birth of the greatest Stealth Hero?" o((*_ _^*))o_

If Iida recalls that fateful hospital visit, the girl's name was Muzatsuko. "Muzatsu(無雑)" meaning "pure". It consisted of "mu(無)" meaning " **Nothing** " and "zatsu(雑)" meaning "miscellaneous". That was the name of his savior and the one who fixed his older brother's legs. It dawned on Iida that such a name did not fit at all.

Ignoring the " **Nothing** ", Muzatsuko(無雑子) could be read as Zako(雑魚), the derogatory term for small fry.

It was at that moment that Jirou, the girl with headphone jacks dangling from her ears exited the kitchen. Iida quickly spots the butterfly knife on her hip.

"That's a violation of…" Iida begins to protest.

"A girl's gotta have some protection," as Iida is cut off.

There was certainly something wrong.

Everyone in the cafeteria started puking.

Reiko the ghost girl from Class B was lying on the floor and was close to becoming an actual ghost.

The speech bubble that Manga had for a head was becoming irregular.

Kosei, the boy with solid breaths took even heavier breaths.

 _"It's a shame Deku isn't here. It would have been nice if he tried my cooking…..spent all those nights for nothing…"_ Toga muses to herself.

Pony, Class B's round eyed exchange student with horns had a keener eye for foods. Everything seemed exotic to her, so it was only natural she took a picture of everything she ate. There was certainly something wriggling in her honey apple bun. As she pulled it out a small repulsive pulsating sac, she wondered what the kitchen staff was doing. She had grown accustomed to eating raw meats during her stay, but the thing before her certainly wasn't food.

It was at that moment, everyone present at the lodge could hear a desperate message reverberating through their head.

" **This is not an alarm! Battle stations!**..." was all Mandalay could relay via Telepathy.

From outside the wall so of the Lodge there was chanting.

"TERRA VULT!

"TERRA VULT!

"TERRA VULT!

"TERRA VULT!

"TERRA VULT!

* * *

As Tokoyami, the bird faced boy was making his rounds, he could sense a looming darkness all around him and not just from outside the walls. It was no joke. His "Dark Shadow" was on standby.

*crash*

Tokoyami spies a glowing red eye from the cloud of dust. As the dust clears, a large monstrosity made up of metal and muscle fibers appears. In front of him was a wild mindless beast with fibrous tendrils whipping about, kicking up dust. In the closed fist of that beast, was Mandalay's limp form.

 **AP SHOT**

"Gahhh!"

The beast howls and Tokoyami's ears are pierced. The loud scream was matched by an equally loud one.

"You're f*cking loud!"

It was a voice Tokoyami was familiar with.

Two red eyes, one pulsating with blood, the other with a sinister mechanical glow, they were both trained on Bakugou.

* * *

They were under attack and Shigaraki had not yielded any useful information about the enemy at all. Aizawa was contemplating going out and fighting, but considering how useless his erasing quirk was back then, it was best for everyone he kept watching Shigaraki. With only one arm at the moment, what he could do was limited. It was a vexing thing.

"TERRA VULT!

"TERRA VULT!

"TERRA VULT!

The other prisoners were being rowdy screaming something about the earth's will.

Nedzu and the staff at UA had determined that there was someone backing Shigaraki. It was the belief that Shigaraki was nothing more than a diversionary puppet. The League of Villains was blatantly after the life of All Might during the attack on USJ. All Might's failing health was something of a closely guarded secret and certainly wasn't something that a man child like Shigaraki could figure out on his own.

He had only brought 2 heroes in training and a single reptilian accomplice with him, who were all under supervision of his colleagues. Shigaraki practically turned himself in and now he sat cuffed in a corner. Camie, the girl filming this interrogation had no direct combat abilities and was chosen solely for one reason.

「Special effects! 」

"So I know my task is like to film, but why didn't you tell me sooner f4m! "

The girl's "glamor" quirk had little direct combat potential and doing some quirk research, the two students appeared to be clean.

That was why Aizawa couldn't take Shigaraki seriously.

Shigaraki had to be a diversion. Shigaraki had to be a throw away pawn. Only a childish man-child would walk into an obvious trap like he had. It was because Shigaraki had no value that he was left to do whatever he had wanted. For that reason, there were fewer heroes deployed at the Forest Lodge than needed. In a world where everyone had superpowers, there were never enough heroes to go around. The fact Cementoss wasn't here was a huge blow as their enemies would certainly have trouble digging through concrete. Right now, Cementoss was with All Might. It was clear that Shigaraki's puppet master was aware of All Might's condition and that All Might was always the true target from the very beginning.

"It seems your master has abandoned you."

Though heroes all work towards a common good, not all villains are under the same sort of banner. In the moonlit world, the competing villainous factions are many. Territorial disputes are common place. It wouldn't be weird to think that an enemy faction of Shigaraki's master had been mobilized. In the public eye, Shigaraki was a mere actor who played the role of a villain.

「Are you sure you're the one with his head straight? 」

After all, most uninformed villains believed the narrative that was spun after the failed attack of USJ. To them Shigaraki and his League of Villains was an overhyped theatre troupe that did publicity stunts for hero agencies. To that end, they weren't entirely wrong, as Shigaraki and his group did in fact participate in quite the number of them, gaining both fame and money in the process. It made perfect sense that a jealous group would capitalize the opportunity to utterly destroy such a **fraud of a villain**. With that troublesome black mist that was always around Shigaraki, the man-child was quite elusive.

「I mean, who's the one missing the arm here?」

Aizawa did not entertain the idea that the man child before him was "playing" everyone like a fiddle. What Aizawa had forgotten is that "playing" is second nature to children and children can be cruel. For a child, everything in this world was a toy.

In truth, Shigaraki had lost his supply of Trigger, so he had sought out a substitute. Going over Sensei's old files, he had discovered the original ingredient to the modern Trigger drug. "Monster cells" were repulsive sacs cultivated underground by various villainous groups for their juices. They were derived from the fabled "Orochi".

These juices were the main ingredient in various concoctions of Trigger, since the raw material was quite finicky in comparison. "Monster cells" had no effect if eaten unwillingly and few would willingly chow down on something so repulsive looking. There were legends that stated that these "monster cells" had no effect on the pure of heart, so it was only natural for Shigaraki to put such legends to the test. No one was willing to divulge the secret manufacturing process of Trigger to him after all.

A certain villain named Muscular had approached him with the desire to have his missing eye restored after hearing news about Ingenium's miraculous recovery. He was the first test subject and the reason why Shigaraki decided to take shelter behind some heroes. Muscular was madder than that ice woman, though the original Muscular couldn't be called "sane". Shigaraki didn't want to waste a good Siamese fighting fish so he picked out some other fish in the form of the Subterranean people. He had intended for the Forest Lodge as the "Aquarium". It was Spinner that suggested that UA students be used as the next test subjects. If they were camping, might as well go fishing.

「This must be a test for True Heroes like yourselves.」

There were enemies outside and hopefully enemies growing within. Shigaraki had but a single thought,

 _"This situation is what Sensei calls a "pincer attack" right? Zerg Rush! Zerg Rush!"_

* * *

The Subterranean King stands before the green beast in the dim cave illuminated by magma blades. Behind the beast lay the scattered bodies of his subjects. The beast isn't looking at him, only at the soldier restrained on the ground who was covered in various burns. The Subterranean King prepares his blades, yet when he brought them to bear, he was unarmed. He was unarmed, literally.

On the floor, his limbs were scattered and the green beast was already behind him. As he turned his back to look at the beast, the beast's back was facing him. For the beast, the Subterranean King was never a factor.

"I am here," is what the beast utters as he scoops his fallen comrade in his arms.

"De…ku."

"Where are the others?"

"They already escaped."

"Got it," were the words of the beast that spelled imminent demise.

The Subterranean King musters all of his courage, even with his life force spilling out, he charges at the unbeatable enemy, yet before he could reach his target, the ceiling explodes. With his objective in his arms, the beast had no reservations about collapsing the tunnels.

The beast is gone and the tunnels collapse. As the Subterranean King is buried alive, he laments at his own weakness. It was never a battle and he never stood a chance. He was not even a pebble on the side of the road. He was never in the beast's vision.

The world for the Subterranean King was always a world lacking in light. The dirt and rubble pile on top of him.

"It's dark…. ….."

It was only natural for the True People of The Earth to become one with the Earth once more. Maybe that was the true will of the Earth all along.

"Terra Vult…"


	16. Chapter 16: Madman's Gambit

Chapter 16: Madman's Gambit

"So is this the Mountain Lodge?" is what Saitama asks a local giant who wore a huge radio as a necklace.

"Do you mean the Forest Lodge?"

Gigantomachia was perplexed when a bald man in a yellow jump suit had approached him. They were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees. Wherever they were, it was certainly not the Forest Lodge that was owned by the "Wild Wild Pussycats" because this was the place Gigantomachia hung out.

"Wait..is that's what it's called?"

Gigantomachia could feel it. This was the "one" that his master had always talked about. This was the "one" that his master feared. In battle, Gigantomachia had no chance, but as long as this "one" roams about, his master All For One could not be content. Gigantomachia needed time to think.

"Do you have a map?"

Saitama pulls out a map and spreads it on the grass. The giant takes out a thermos and two cups, filling each with tea.

"Thanks."

Saitama was surprised. The giant showed courtesy that many others lacked.

"Hmmm," is the sound the giant makes as he sips his cup of "Imperial Golden Tips".

"This is some high class tea," Saitama admits. Whatever he was drinking, it was clearly a cut above what he normally drank.

* * *

There was uproar in the lunchroom. Kosei, the plain looking boy from class B was ballooning to comical proportions. Kosei exhales,

 _"Monoma."_

The entrance to the cafeteria is covered in a thick layer of solid air as Kosei returns to his original size, yet there was certainly something off about the way he looked, especially with that smile on his face. The other members of class B with the exception of Pony were writhing on the floor with a stomach ache.

Monoma, the boy who shared the same height of 170cm had disappeared one day, yet UA had kept it under wraps. Monoma was smart, but always tended to lose sight of what was truly important. He had tried to provoke Bakugo during the cavalry battle instead of focusing on the larger threat simply because of what the prior had said at the beginning of the Sports Festival. Kosei was always there to ground Monoma along with Kendo, yet Monoma wasn't around anymore.

"Class A."

Maybe he blamed himself for Monoma's disappearance. He didn't pay much attention at Monoma's proclamation at joining the theatre troupe that participated in the USJ drill that Class A had taken apart of. Even, so a part of him now wanted someone to blame.

"Class," as Kosei inhales once more.

"Obstruction of doors is against…." Iida says before he is cut off.

"Duck," is what Uraraka says before slamming Iida into the floor along with her.

 **"A,"** comes out of Kosei's mouth like a bullet. This cannonball of solid air with enough power to remove one's head had whizzed past where Iida's head should have been. All Iida could hear was the sound of a body dropping and his heart beat rises. It was a surreal sense of nostalgia for Iida.

Jirou rushes back into the kitchen. As Mineta and Toru follow, the door is slammed in their faces.

"Ow…what was that.."

A switch is turned on and the serving counter enters lockdown mode with steel shutters come crashing down.

"You're not leaving us to die…Is this about me trying to peak on the girl's locker room? Were you actually..," Mineta wails.

"I don't think that was actually Jirou…..," is what Toru explains to Mineta.

"Class," is what Kosei says as he inhales once more before Pony slams into him with her horns.

 **Horn Cannon**

 _"A bad guy with a gun can only be stopped buy a good guy with a gun and girl you got 2 guns on your head,_ " were the words of Pony's father. Friendship was magic, that was what Pony believed, but in order to protect her friends, something more was needed.

"….?"

The horns did not pierce the balloon; instead, Pony is rebounded off of Kosei's inflated stomach and is slammed against a wall. Kosei's eyes were trained on her.

 **Recipro Burst**

Iida speeds behind Kosei with Uraraka on his back, quickly collecting the fallen students of class B. Uraraka's Zero Gravity quirk was useful in this regard. While Iida had to bear her weight on his back, the other students weighed nothing.

 _"To save people as quickly as possible,"_ was the ideal Iida followed in the footsteps of his older brother.

Iida's heart was racing.

On that day at Hosu, he had certainly died, with only revenge flashing through his mind. Iida could not forgive the Hero Killer for crippling the brother he had admired. Stain's sword had pierced him and he had lost his life. Many feelings were swirling around up to that point.

Yet all those feelings were **All For Nothing**.

His death was undone.

Within that week, his brother had his crippling injuries undone as well.

 _"Monster,"_ was the word that had come out of his mouth in place of gratitude during that hospital visit by Midoriya's sister?

Maybe Iida never recovered from his trauma in that mock battle with the Midoriya boy?

Generations removed from the civil turmoil when those without quirks feared those with quirks, he believed that era to be faraway, yet the feelings he harbored refuted this. Monsters with powers beyond common sense, with **nothing to lose** roamed the earth. It was natural for normal people to not be able to relate to such beings at all.

His life and his brother's legs were saved. He should have been grateful. Even so, he could not find it in himself to thank her. His instincts were screaming at him that the one before him that day was a **monster, the natural enemy of humans**. Any act of good will had to be performed out of a mere whim. There was no way a monster like that can be killed by a puff of air. That was why he could focus on the things at hand.

At any rate, right now, the inflated Kosei gave off that same sort of feeling.

From the trauma he had experienced this year, Iida could no longer comprehend what being a hero meant anymore, so he focuses his thought on a single ideal.

 _"To save people as quickly as possible,"_ was the challenge Iida was muttering under his breath.

He needed to get the people on his back to safety as quickly as possible. A drawn out fight in the lunchroom would be straying from that ideal, but the entrance was blocked off. Kosei had to be taken down. He empties his mind of all wandering thoughts.

As Kosei turned to face the speedster behind him, he rapidly expands and contracts like a puffer fish, firing off a 3 round burst of cannon balls.

 **Kapow! Kapow! Kapow!**

Even so, Iida quickly dodges to the side and the balls of solid air crash into the wall of solid air creating shrapnel of solid air.

"Ahh," is the groan Reiko the ghost girl lets out as shrapnel is lodged in her stomach. Iida winces and grits his teeth.

The situation looked dire, but Kosei's attack was a double edged sword. As a monster that has lost his reasoning, he did not foresee the fact his attack would create a perfect entrance of escape.

Well, perfect was putting it mildly, considering the hole produced in the wall of air could barely fit a single person.

"Iida we need to get to the infirmary quick, she doesn't look alright," Uraraka says frantically.

To get the 3 immobile students of class B to safety, someone needed to draw Kosei's attention.

Mineta was a coward, but in all the things of this world, he knew one truth.

"Cute girls are a precious commodity!"

He would not forgive the ruffian who would handle the cute blue eyed foreign horned girl so roughly. Mineta had jumped onto the back of the ballooned boy, scurrying along the surface with his sticky balls in hand.

As Kosei tried to exhale, he had found a big purple ball shoved in his face.

 _"You liar. Those things aren't grapes, someone could choke on those,"_ were Saitama's scolding words to him. Saitama didn't agree with the hero name he had picked.

"Choke on it!"

Kosei tries to exhale, but cannot. His nose and mouth were sealed. Kosei throws himself on the floor gasping for breath. With his newly acquired lung capacity from his transformation, he had enough oxygen to last him hours, but with his air pathways sealed; he was no longer a threat. Kosei frantically struggles as he his knocked off balance. He rolls around until settling in one place. It seemed like the battle was over.

Unfortunately, the world was a chaotic place.

 ***CRASH***

A nearby wall explodes and Bakugo careens into Kosei and like a billiard ball, Kosei is propelled. Kosei bounces around the room without stopping.

As the smoke clears, the occupants of the lunch room could see a giant monster of metal and muscle. A struggling Tokoyami was trapped in the monster's whip like muscle fibers, but the monster did not care to notice and started to ramble.

"What's this, what's this? Were you really just all talk?"

The inflated Kosei enters the monster's view and is kicked at Bakugo like a soccer ball. The ball bounces off Bakugo and all around the room at an even greater speed.

"Wwwaahhh," both Mineta and Toru scream as they attempt to dodge the ball.

The bird faced boy named Tokoyami had presumably tried to stop the monster, but his "Dark Shadow" simply got entangled, resulting in the current predicament.

Bakugo stands up against the wall with a broken leg. It was a familiar feeling. His head was dizzy and he was having trouble thinking, but one thing was clear.

"You're just playing around ain't YA!"

The monster before him had plenty of strength to end the fight any number of ways, but was simply kicking Bakugo around. Bakugo knew this feeling of being outclassed well. Except this time, his enemy had the mindset of an overgrown house cat.

"What's wrong with playing? Come on, it's no fun if I blow my load too quickly."

Bakugo good feel that his throat was dry; he was putting his sweat glands to work after all. He did not have his gauntlets with him. His output was limited. He could not win in a contest of pure power. That was obvious from the start. Every attack he launched, his opponent easily dodged with speeds faster than his eyes could track. Even so,

 _"A hero always wins."_

That is the ideal Bakugo lived by, but always fell short of. It was the reason why he gave Deku a hard time during their childhood. Weaklings are "victims" and can never hope to be "heroes", but Deku refused his in-born status of "victim", pressing on to become a "hero". That was why Bakugo could not accept him. It was insulting that a day dreaming weakling claimed to pine for the same goal. He was a weakling that certainly did not take the climb as seriously as he did. Yet in these recent years, Deku had started to take things seriously and he had overturned the natural order of the world and became someone that stood even above those carefully bred elites like Todoroki.

It was frustrating, but Deku had achieved the ideal he had sought all his life.

 _"Heroes aren't cool because they're heroes. They're heroes because they're cool."_

Mineta gathers his resolve. Toru was beside him, picking the unconscious Pony up. Girls were watching, so he had to act cool. His quirk may not have been impressive, but it would prove useful against the monster before them. The coward breaks into a smirk.

Tokoyami who was entangled in those fibers had limited the movements of those very fibers. Like a bunch of exposed wires and gears, the muscles would stop working if filled with enough gunk.

"Are you watching?"

Mineta pops off a ball from his head as blood flows from his mouth and chucks them at the monster, but the ball was too slow. The monster dodges easily.

"OH…"

The monster grins and swats Mineta away.

"Gah…"

Before it could target Toru and Pony, Bakugo intervenes with an **AP Shot**. It doesn't do any noticeable damage, but he had re-attracted the monsters attention.

"You can't hurt me with that little pea shooter…don't even need to dodge actually…..." it says as the neck rotates.

Iida is quick to realize the newly missing wall. The muscular monster was only paying attention to Bakugo.

Iida seizing the opportunity evacuates with all the people piled up on his back as Uraraka protests.

"Should we be leaving them? That isn't right!"

Iida bites his lips as he zooms through the hallway with his engine powered legs. The truth was painful.

"There isn't anything we can do. Saving as many people as quickly as possible is our top priority!"

Uraraka grimaces, but she could not refute that truth.

* * *

As Mineta lay on the ground injured, he continues to pop off more balls and throw them at the enemy. They miss the mark and the battlefield is littered in adhesive balls. He had already popped past his limits by helping with the defenses around the building, but with his legs injured, it was all he could do. Kosei continues to roll around aimlessly.

"Mineta you're bleeding," Toru protests.

Mineta does not stop and throws them frantically and aimlessly. The monster doesn't even look back.

*cough*

Bakugo is tossed around, not unlike how Ragdoll was tossed around when the monster appeared. He could taste the blood in his mouth. Even so, Bakugo had enough awareness to propel himself away from the balls that now littered the floor.

"Thought you'd put up more of a fight. I'm kinda disappointed," the monster says without much thought. Muscular takes the kill slowly.

Whenever Bakugo tried to use a point blank blast, Muscular would dodge in an instant at a speed faster than the naked eye could keep track of. Bakugo could not hit his enemy. If he could not hit his enemy, how could he win?

Bakugo's head was no longer on straight and he started hallucinating.

Bakugo had taken pride in his humble origins. Born to an unassuming couple and attended a no name middle school. Through tenacity, grit and talent, he wanted to prove that he was better than those sheltered prep-schooled kids who had everything, but such a thing was hypocrisy. He had been blessed from the start. Deku's pitiful quirkless existence had made that abundantly clear from the start.

As Bakugo is slammed into the wall he wonders.

 _"If Deku can do it, why can't I!"_

Rising from the faceless masses, the strongest appears at the summit. Victory is only as valuable as the climb it is to get there. Defying common sense and overturning reality. Bakugo had always been ahead, yet now Deku, the pebble on the road out of nowhere had ran past him becoming a fleeting thing in the distance. Even so, that fleeting thing remained in his vision, as if to say,

 _"Can you keep up?"_

"Oi, Can you keep up?" were the taunting words of the monster that bring Bakugo back to reality.

Breaking out in a smirk as he grits his teeth, Bakugo stands on his broken leg spouting what could only been nonsense to the enemy in front of him.

"You f*kcing b*stard. You should worry about keeping up with me!"

Even with his leg broken, Bakugo's arms were fine and the monster grins as Bakugo's bloodied figure comes into focus.

"Now those are some good words! Hahahahaaa!"

He could still fly. It's not impossible for a bird to overcome a cat. Bakugo already knew his opponent had a serious limitation.

 _"Muscle fibers."_

The muscle fibers were so strong; they could not be contained in skin. The enemy was nothing but a mass of whip-like muscle fibers. There was no skin to be found on the giant mass of metal and muscle. Bakugo already knew what the grape boy was trying to do, but fell short of.

As the monster stands before Bakugo, a plan is put into motion.

 **STUN GRENADE**

The monster is blinded and Bakugo flies over a cluster of sticky balls that were left behind by Mineta and places his palm on the floor. Such a combination attack could only have one name,

 **GRAPE SHOT!**

Akin to the muzzle of a shotgun, a cloud of dust forms for an instant before debris and adhesive balls careen through the air. Even if his opponent could dodge a point blank blast at close range with speed, a cluster of shots was a different matter. The balls gunk up the muscles and the jagged debris cause abrasive tears. It must have been painful. The dust rubbing against the fibers must have been unbearably irritating.

"My eyes! It itches!..You cheeky little….."

The monster frantically shakes about, with the tendrils of muscle fiber kicking up dust, the shockwaves cause the surrounding walls to crumble.

 **KaBOOM!**

A random strike pierces through the ceiling blowing the entire roof away without a piece to be left behind. The resulting wind pressure causes everyone to hug the ground for dear life.

With the ceiling gone, more monsters poured in wielding glowing blades of magma, yet these monsters were not the allies of the monster of muscle and metal.

"Surface Dweller, prepare yourself for I am…."

Muscular blows the newcomer away into the sky.

"What're you supposed to be! Too drab to be a Sentai Squad that's for sure! You look all the same! …What was I doing?"

Muscular had already encountered them before. The fun of fighting is seeing the surprises someone at deaths door would pull out. As such, it was boring to fight opponents who were all identical and the same. Men crave for variety.

"You'll pay for doing that to the captain!" were the words of the monsters that remained.

The tendrils of fiber whip up the place, mincing anything in its path. Bakugo, Mineta, Toru and Pony survived only because the ground was no longer level. By hugging the ground, the avoided the fate that befell the self proclaimed "True People of the Earth". Muscular was gradually slowing down as his muscle fibers get jammed. The more he moves, the more Mineta's grapes entangle within those fibers.

"What a monster…," Bakugo says with a grin.

Bakugo was facing a monster, but even so.

He has beaten a stronger monster once before.

 _"Even weaker than Deku."_

Bakugo could not see his opponent move, but he had seen it coming.

 _"Predict and act accordingly….."_

Even if his opponent was strong, his movements were hopelessly honest. Bakugo would not be hit with such straightforward attacks. He dodges a killing blow easily. His eyes are trained solely on victory.

 ***crash***

The wall behind Bakugo and several walls behind it are blown apart. This was not lost on the heroes, but neither was it lost on the Subterranean attack force.

 ***crash*clang*slash*Kapow*Kachew**

Bakugo could hear the surrounding fights going all around the place. In the distance he could see a bloodied Vlad King bisect one of those large identical looking small fries.

From this moment, it was clear that challenging the upperclassman Togata was time well spent. Bakugo puts on grin wider than his enemy.

"Why you…"

Another series of blows is launched with the whip-like fibers with enough power to tenderize anything in their path, but all they do is hit air, creating a dust storm that obscures everything.

 ***crash**crash**crash**crash**crash***

The now nonexistent room is enveloped in dust, and one of Mineta's balls had gotten stuck on his body. Bakugo holds his breath.

*cough*cough*

Mineta and Toru could not see anything. All they could do was hope they didn't get hit. Even as the ground shook, the floor was relatively unscathed with Mineta's adhesive balls clinging tightly. The ground was still littered in the things. To most people's annoyance, those balls were a cut above most adhesives. They could not be removed by normal means.

 _"Just don't touch the ground."_

Having memorized the battlefield's layout, Bakugo can navigate through the dust. Bakugo flies to another part of the floor littered in sticky grapes and launches another salvo.

 **GRAPE SHOT!**

The adhesive balls stick to the fibers, entangling them. The monster has slowed down and is noticeably peeved.

"Stop flying around….…."

 _"I have 2 more good shots…need to make them count."_

Flying to another area, Bakugo continues on with his plan. His opponent was nothing more than some poorly designed boss. Once you figure out the pattern, the weakness, it was only a matter of playing without mistakes.

 **GRAPE SHOT!**

The monster slows down.

"I just want to use my quirk without holding back and yet….."

 **GRAPE SHOT!**

The muscle fibers are clogged. Muscular can't move the way he wants to.

"Stop fighting dirty!"

Bakugo goes beyond his perceived limits and delivers a third shot.

 **GRAPE SHOT!**

At the end of it, the muscular monster's muscle fibers are clogged up, yet the monster still continues charging forward, but this time, at a much more manageable pace.

*pant*pant*pant*

Bakugo's injuries were catching up to him. He had bone fractures in various places. He could not walk and his supply of explosive sweat was in decline, but that did not matter. It was fortunate that the enemy was so stupid. The monster was lumbering at him slowly, yet did Bakugo have it in him for one final shot?

Bakugo should have run dry way earlier into the fight, yet he still had more. With his back against the floor, the monster towers above him.

"You little cheater….."

Bakugo stretches his hand over the face of his enemy. With his opponent's speed reduced to the current level there was no way a point blank blast to the face can be dodged. That was Bakugo's intent all along.

Bakugo utters beneath his breath as blood pools at the bottom of his mouth.

"A hero is someone who wins with everything they have…"

A muscular grin, a hero on the verge of death is a terrifying thing. It was those things that gave Muscular pleasure in life.

 **Dark Shadow!**

He tries to turn his head away from the boy's hand to mitigate damage, but pitch black tendrils were preventing his neck from turning. Tokoyami had been biding his time and conserving his strength for a single opening.

Expelling the explosive sweat that shouldn't have existed, Bakugo delivers his finishing blow.

 _"Dammit."_

 **Armor Piercing SHOT**

The two red eyes, one mechanical and one bloodshot are enveloped in a close proximity blast. It was assured to be a fatal blow, but with his vitality, it should not lead to death. That was what Muscular believed, yet there was one miscalculation.

* * *

Muscular had noted Ingenium's miraculous recovery and hoped Shigaraki could do the same for him. Shigaraki had promised to give him a new eye and did exactly that. Muscular wanted the scam artist dead.

 _"We all do our best and deal with the result. What's bad is when you can't put your money where your mouth is! I wanted a **real** eye, not another prosthetic!"_

The joker had given him another mechanical eye and ran off in a puff of black smoke. After being fed that disgusting thing while on the operating table, he had found some extra strength, but his muscles could no longer be contained within his skin. He could no longer blend into normal crowds which annoyed him. Such was another reason Muscular had sought out the Forest Lodge. The scam artist Muscular wanted dead had decided to hide behind some heroes according to the informant Giran. It was only natural for Muscular to crash the camp.

* * *

 **BOOM!**

 _"A second explosion?"_

As the smoke cleared, the monster reemerges with its head blown clean off. Just because Muscular had become stronger as a monster didn't mean his mechanical eye had become stronger.

 _"Chain explosion?...Don't tell me that red eye…. was a bomb….."_

Shigaraki knew the value of insurance policies and had something prepared just in case things got really hairy, but it had backfired.

 _"He's dead…."_

Bakugo's consciousness barely clings on.

* * *

「*Attack the weak point for massive damage!*」

The lunchroom was covered in large adhesive pellets no thanks to Bakugo's incessant use of explosions. It was unfortunate that one got stuck on Toru's foot during the battle and she could no longer walk away. She tried her best to apply first aid the unconscious Pony. It was a miracle they didn't' die during the fight.

The lockdown shutters of the lunch counter deactivate and two people walk out.

One is Jirou, the other looked like Deku, but as a maid. There were rumors of an odd sibling, but Toru had always believed them to be one of Uraraka's weird fantasies. The oddest thing was that Toru could not sense the doppelganger's presence, which was significant coming from an invisible girl. Without the eye catching maid outfit, Toru would have dismissed her as something in the background. This contrast makes the resulting presence quite disturbing.

The doppelganger stands over the injured Bakugo with a hand touching his face.

「*That was so cool.*」

Bakugo gets defensive and aims his hand, yet he had used up all his sweat against Muscular.

"Dammit."

「*Scraping away a dramatic victory at the last moment like a main character. Always so defiant to the very end.*」

Those words were directed at Jirou or rather her imposter.

"You're trying to make him seem appealing to me aren't you? You really want him to join us?"

Bakugo remembers that infuriating girl that looked like Deku.

"What're you.."

「*A murderer can't become a hero Kacchan, so…*」

Heroes were those who apprehended murderers. Even so, the public did not take too kindly of the idea of a hero that kills people. All Might's scuffle with All For One was kept under wraps for that very reason. If a hero in training could not become a hero, then….

"You're wasting your time."

Whether the events that transpired were set up, it did not matter to Bakugo. Villains were the losers in this world and Bakugo wanted to be a winner, a hero. For that reason, Bakugo would never stray from the hero's path.

「* **It's not my fault.** You said that a lot as a kid, but that excuse won't fly with the authorities this time so…*」

"Bull."

The Jirou imposter takes out a butterfly knife.

" **People show their true nature when they're about to die** …Stain said that didn't he?…"

There is a short pause as the imposter gathers her thoughts.

"…People love flowers, so they cut them. People love animals, so they eat them…to find out everything about a person, you must drive them to despair ….."

If Deku could not be hurt, then you simply had to hurt the people he wants to protect.

It was then Vlad King intervenes. He would not be fooled again.

"Himiko!"

* * *

The missing walls were something Deku could not miss. In the middle of the rubble, Deku could spy various corpses of the underground fanatical group.

Toru had her foot caught on something and was tending to an injured Class B student.

Mineta was on the floor bleeding. His adhesive balls were everywhere.

Another Class B student was rolling around like an inflated beach ball.

A headless pile of half muscle and metal lays motionless on the floor.

Kacchan was on the floor unconscious.

The only figures standing were three.

One was a girl with earphone jacks dangling from her ears with a knife in hand.

Another was the homeroom teacher of Class B with blades of blood at the ready.

The other was Deku's doppelganger and upon seeing that reflected face, he crosses the distance in an instant even with Kirishima strapped to his back. The doppelganger struggles beneath Deku's boot.

「*….. it's not my fault. They were like this when I got here, honest.*」

Deku's gaze shifts to Jirou who was preparing for a stab with the butterfly knife in hand.

"What happened to the real one?"

The disguise melts off and a familiar blonde is revealed. A blonde with twin buns he met at that blood drive after that incident with Todoroki's mom.

"So you do recognize me! You don't know how happy that makes me. "

With a sound amplifying quirk, the real Jirou would have sounded the alarms right away in an attempt to call for help. It was obvious to Deku that the one before him was a fake.

Blood whirls through the air as Toga is momentarily distracted.

"You won't get away this time."

Toga is bound by blood.

Vlad King apprehends the serial killer. It was only now that Deku could focus at the task at hand.

Deku rips the hem of his doppelgangers skirt to use as bandages and quickly applies a tourniquet to Kacchan's broken arm.

「*Rude much?*」

Kacchan had always bullied him when they were kids, but Deku continued to care for Kacchan. People had always asked him why and Deku had always responded with,

 _"I'm not a victim."_

* * *

Midoriya had always loved the world and the people in it. Everywhere around him were amazing people in all shapes and sizes with their own "quirk". Each day there was always something new. The world was never boring. The world was a truly beautiful place. Those that protected the world were called "heroes". That was why Midoriya wanted to become a hero like All Might.

 _"Huh, you were there."_

Midoriya had heard that line many times as a child. Quirkless, plain and forgettable; Midoriya was a nobody. The world was a wild and beautiful place, yet Midoriya who lacked a quirk lacked a place in it. Becoming a hero was an impossible dream, a mere delusion. That was the source of Midoriya's first taste of despair.

Even so, the most beautiful things in this world are beautiful precisely because they are unattainable.

From that despair burned an even greater hope.

Overlooked by everyone, the concept of a **hero that never overlooks anyone** became even more beautiful.

A hero needed to be strong, because a hero **always wins**. A hero can never **lose** , but Midoriya was a loser.

 **That was why Midoriya had always wanted to win.**

* * *

「*To win, you just have to beat the winners….*」 Zako mutters beneath her breath as she gazes up at Deku who has his foot pressed against her.

People need to despair before they know what hope truly is.

「*Too many take this world for granted… Too many winners that should be smiling that never smile. …thinking themselves misfortunate…*」

Deku simply ignores her, but Zako continues to mutter with an innocent smile.

「*Entitled elites that think themselves as " **victims** " ..…need to have true **despair** screwed into their heads…*」

Deku grits his teeth at such a statement.

「*..I never overlook anyone….. The Todoroki family ….*」

The foot is driven deeper as the devil's smile grows wider.

"Shut up," were the only words that came out of Deku's mouth and the doppelganger had resigned.

 _"10 words or less…."_

Saitama never explained the reasoning behind such a policy, but Deku now believes he has the answer. If a villain cannot best you in battle, they would resort to words and turn the battle into one of resolve. A hero must smash through every obstacle, physical or mental.

Deku repeats the question to the restrained serial killer named Toga.

"What happened to Jirou?"

The serial killer is simply amused.

"What didn't happen? "

Deku recalls how he broke the legs of the girl before him, yet here she is before them.

"I'm usually the one w….."

Vlad King wraps the blood around the serial killer and places her on his back. Toru was stuck to the floor with adhesives, so the homeroom teacher digs around the adhesives with his spade of blood. He repeats the same thing for Mineta, Toru, Pony and Zako as well.

The unconscious Tokoyami that was still trapped under the corpse comprised of muscle fibers was given smelling salts. His injuries were mostly cosmetic.

"We need to get to the infirmary bay," the teacher says and Deku could not deny that.

Toga struggles to free herself from the blood, but to no avail, she could only watch on. As she looks at Deku from the distance, she could see that Deku wasn't smiling. Toga had seen his anguished face before. That face he makes when he injures his enemy. A gentle boy that winces harder than the one he hurts.

 _"…yes…._ _…that face.. ._ _,"_ were the only thoughts in Toga's mind.

* * *

"Terra Vult!" could be heard outside.

 ***Crash***

With the Forest Lodge crumbling around them, the prisoners under the eye of Aizawa and various students broke free from their restraints. They were waiting for this moment. A two pronged attack from outside and inside.

"Terra Vult!"

Sato downs his sugary snack and boosts his power level by a factor of 5, but the prisoners outnumbered his fellow students by a factor of 10. Kendo and TetsuTetsu are forced back by the prisoners.

"We're retreating, anyone who dies gets remedial lessons!"

"More!?" some of the students exclaim.

Aizawa grabs Camie with his one remaining hand and others with his scarf. Even with his special scarf, he was missing a hand. At this outcome, it was only natural for those not on their feet and who were not heroes like Shigaraki to be abandoned.

"Wait!...fakes…come back…..you're not even hiding it anymore…." is what the tied up Spinner protests as he sees the Subterraneans rise up.

Shigaraki and Spinner are left behind at the mercy of the very monsters he had incited.

A Subterranean grabs Shigaraki by the collar.

"Sorceror, this was all you're….."

The Subterranean soldier that holds him up is disintegrated into dust with a light tap of Shigaraki's five fingers. It seems that such animals could not comprehend the mechanism of Shigaraki's power. They take a step back from Shigaraki and Spinner, keeping a good distance in case of any tricks they may pull.

 **SPLASH!**

A torrent of water splashes harmlessly against the Subterranean Knight Commander, but it was enough to make the Subterranean pause. Kouta who was hiding underneath the rubble and was forgotten by everyone else had stayed behind to watch over Shigaraki. Kouta could never understand those people who called themselves heroes, yet right now, he was risking his life for Shigaraki. The little boy quickly undoes the restraints on the members of LoV and tells the two this before the Subterraneans knew what was happening,

"Run away!"

Even so, Shigaraki does not run even as the Knight Commander wipes the water from his eyes.

"Not even your younglings know honor," the freed Subterranean Knight Commander responds to the series of events before him.

「You elites called knights with a monopoly on violence throw around something called "honor" that ever applied to your own kind, like "heroes" and their "justice". Selfish isn't it?.」

Shigaraki says this with a grin. It would only take **one touch**. One touch for each. A puff of black mist appears beside Shigaraki.

Kurogiri eyes Kouta.

"Is that the boy?"

* * *

The Elite Subterraneans were certainly having trouble. No matter how they approached the enemy fortress from the ground, they were always repulsed by the spikes of ice and earth. Doppelgangers made from earth would sprout from the ground, but these doppelgangers were mere fakes. Fakes could not best the original. What was more trifling was the fact that their feet would always be trapped under accursed sticky spheres. Once they were caught in such a way, they were blown away with magics unknown.

"Terra Vult!"

It was then too their joy that the Elite Subterraneans had discovered that some of the walls of the fortress were knocked down. The attack force was overjoyed at this change in fortunes, but to their horror, they were wiped out in an instant the moment they saw green.

"Terra…."

 **SMASH**

The heroes had "won" the day.

* * *

The Subterraneans that remained and the members of the League of Villains who were found roaming around the Forest Lodge were quickly captured and put into transport carriers, but there weren't enough to go around. Some of the strange monsters had to be kept at the Forest Lodge for the time being until more transports were available.

The day was not won without some cost.

All the members of the Wild Wild Pussycats but Pixie-Bob were missing in action along with various other heroes like Snipe. Kouta, Mandalay's nephew was missing too. The future of the hero group was uncertain.

"Where are you hiding Monoma? Reiko, Manga, Kosei….What did you lot do to my students!?"

Was all an injured Vlad King, the homeroom teacher of Class B could say to Shigaraki as he was carted off. With his mouth muzzled, Shigaraki naturally couldn't say anything.

To Deku's relief, the real Jirou was with Aizawa. Though Toga's transformation mechanism is based around blood consumption, Vlad King confirmed that such blood must have been taken from the blood drive that Jirou unwittingly participated in. The fact that LoV possessed a huge library of blood samples from various people was more disconcerting.

Gran Torino sees the disciple of Saitama seeing off his evil twin as she is carted away. Seeing the boy's exhausted face from the nightmare that recently transpired, Gran Torino approaches him and poses a serious question.

"Do you feel like a hero yet?"

For everyone who enters the world of heroes, friction between reality and the ideal is an inevitable thing. Many young ones aspiring to be heroes may give up once they experience the **stained** reality first hand, yet Deku wasn't like most people.

"Yes."

There were many Deku did not save and many more villains he just abandoned as they lay injured with debris crumbling around them. A small part of him hoped that they had survived, but that was just sophistry to soften his guilt. To save the people he knew, he utterly crushed the people that he did not. A true hero should not kill, but a hero does not necessarily have **to save everyone**.

The contradictions between reality and the ideal were only natural. Deku is no longer a child and accepts this fact, even if the greedier part of him still refutes it. He has no words he can say against this one fact.

"A hero that always wins and **saves everyone** …...it's frustrating…..but I'm only human…" is what he mutters.

His ideal image of a hero could not exist, but Deku would continue to walk that path like the many before him. All Might and Saitama despite all their strength, must have been the same.

"Hmm…that's something Toshinori would say…."

There were things he still needed to improve on and as such Deku turns his gaze and apologizes to the elderly man behind him.

"I'm sorry…..for not giving you a chance to explain yourself."

Deku did not give Gran Torino a chance to explain himself in that initial encounter before resorting to restraints, but the old man knew that was the way he was trained.

"10 words or less….never let the enemy sway you."

It was a lesson that the old man wished his old student All Might would engrave into his heart. If only All Might listened to such advice, then maybe that battle with All For One would have turned out differently.

Gran Torino felt sorry for the boy. The adults knowing his immense strength used the boy as an insurance policy. More heroes were originally assigned to Shigaraki's capture, but under the assumption that Shigaraki was a mere disposable decoy to a greater mastermind's scheme, resources were cut back. Thus, a heavy responsibility was placed on the strongest first year. Heroes after all were a limited commodity. A commodity stretched even more thinly by the recent public protests sparked by the incident involving Endeavor and his mentally unstable wife. Heroes were always busy nowadays with riots being so common.

The day was won, but not without complications.

Some of the villains they encountered in the rubble had lost their lives. Some were blown apart by Momo's mines and machine guns as they were held in place by Mineta's balls. One corpse identified to be Muscular's was missing a head. Under the dire situation, the students were given the right to use lethal force, but such an explanation would not be acceptable to some of the more troublesome members of the public. The anti-hero advocacy groups would have their heyday.

Bakugo, the winner of the Sports Festival who was known for attitude problems, already had the public question what exactly UA was promoting. Things would only get worse if word got out he just straight up killed someone, even if that someone was a villain.

There was no need to explain the innumerable number of villains buried by Deku alone.

For better or for worse, Camie's video camera only uploaded live footage of Shigaraki's interrogation. Hopefully, the public would think of it as a mock training video. The public would still think of the League of Villains as a theatre troupe, but not the students of UA or the two Shinketsu students that Shigaraki had roped in. There would be a lot of confidentiality papers to be signed that day.

The events that transpired this day needed to be "changed" a little.

Such a thing wasn't abnormal in the world of heroes. To maintain the Symbol of Peace, some of All Might's less savory victories were specifically left out of the press.

* * *

The number of captured villains numbered just under a thousand and there were plenty more to find beneath the rubble. The police were stretched thin just to keep track of them all. The villains who were deemed minor threats did not even have the privilege of having a single hero to escort them.

The League of Villains that employed a wide range of teenagers was certainly rated lower on the threat scale than the militant Subterraneans that seemed to be part of a well oiled private army.

*laughter*

A certain driver was feeling uneasy with the League of Villains stuffed at the back. No hero was in sight.

The Forest Lodge was quite the remote location. There would be a lot of distance to cover. Lots of routes were mapped to different detention facilities. Shigaraki could not believe that things were going so smoothly. Shigaraki could have simply left with Kurogiri, but he chose to get captured for a single reason.

The back of the transport carrier is uncreated and Shigaraki spies a certain Yakuza boss who wore a witch doctor's mask.

「Overhaul, you came!」was what Shigaraki said, though it was certain no one could hear past the muzzle.

* * *

In the chaos of the attack, Kurogiri had picked up a certain child in a puff of black mist. A child named Kouta who was adamant about joining Shigaraki and furthering his cause. Kouta was a fanboy that Shigaraki had taken notice of during a certain **talk show** discussing Endeavor's family. Honestly, the only reason Shigaraki noticed the boy was because in Shigaraki's mind, "Endeavor is fire; horned hat boy was water, the opposite."

* * *

 _Kurogiri remembers the talk from a week ago..._

"And you'll give yourself over to the heroes?"

Kurogiri was dumbfounded.

「Overhaul recently became the boss of his own operation, so he'll be looking for extra pieces. Just flood the area with villains, too many for the heroes to haul off to jail all at once…. make it seem like Sensei threw us away… like pawns…..if Overhaul likes Shogi as much as he lets on….he'll pick us up for sure.」

The Mafia, the Yakuza, the Triads and other various gangs were once romanticized in films, as well as music. The new age of heroes put an end to that by re-popularizing black and white morality.

 _"Villain b*stards."_

The Yakuza were a dying breed that even family members shunned away from. The Yakuza had trouble attracting new members. For any organization to survive, young blood was needed to replace the ever aging old.

LoV was a group of much controversy, a shady group that conducted charities in times of trouble, not unlike the Yakuza of old during an earthquake. A group that called out to today's disenfranchised youth just as the Yakuza had in the past.

 **Tap tap tap**

「A child that constantly rants about the same things as a certain Yakuza boss, who's also an orphan…..that's SS rare.」

"…..," Kurogiri simply continues to listen to Shigaraki's incomprehensible thought pattern. It was odd for Shigaraki to put any effort in anything.

「Overhaul still doesn't trust me, maybe it's my affiliation with Sensei, but there are things he's keeping from me. Something that could prove very useful…., with that truth talker by his side, he'll never let me get too close.」

Shigaraki focuses his attention on the game in his hand. He holds it carefully, awkwardly, gingerly, to avoid disintegrating it.

 **Tap tap tap**

"But you assume this kid can get close?"

「I've been watching his underlings you see, how he micromanages. There is always some errand boy told to buy some Pre Pure, Dolls, Plushies, stuffed animals, things ….a little girl may like? Those errand boys never last…..so he must put a lot of importance on those little errands…besides… most people put their guards down when it comes to children…」

The taping noises stop as Shigaraki puts down the handheld console.

"…"

「A kid who controls water that blatantly believes in the same things he does…..A clean freak that denounces quirks, I don't wanna hear **her** debate against him. Hopefully, the kid can dig up exactly what he's been hiding. If not….」

LoV does what it must because it can. Shigaraki stuffs a slice of cake into his mouth. They haven't run out of cake just yet.

 _…...is what Kurogiri remembers, but he had to focus on the present because Magne was about to do something._

* * *

Though Magne had to be bribed into behaving during the meeting, everything else was going smoothly. Kurogiri sits in a meeting with Overhaul and his associates. Kurogiri turns to the little boy named Kouta, noting how well Overhaul had taken a liking to him, as much as Overhaul could possibly take a liking to anyone and resigns himself to this one fact.

 _"We're actually getting somewhere?!"_


	17. Chapter 17: Notions and Emotions

Ch17: Notions and Emotions

Overhaul grew up surrounded by madness. Everywhere he looked, the mad walked about. If there was one truth in this world, then it was that the world had become diseased. The world was infected by the disease known as "quirks". Intoxicated by "quirks", humans would come to strive for things that could only be called unnatural.

"To be a superhero," was a wish many around him had made. In any other era, it would have been nothing more than some childish fantasy that people abandoned as they grew up. Yet, in this world with "quirks", children stopped growing up. With these "quirks", they would dream. Well into adulthood, they would cling on delusions. These children would grow up into equally immature adults that would put on colorful costumes for the whole world to see.

 _"Villain B*stards."_

These children growing up to admire such delusional adults would see the world in black and white. When he was left alone to fend for himself, "pops" had taken him in. "Pops" was a Yakuza boss and in this world drunk on "justice", people like him felt the pressure. No matter what oaths or honor people like them follow, the world drunk on "justice" would never accept them. Anyone that did not fit the mold this unrealistic world pushed was a villain.

 _"Never mess with honest folk, Chisaki."_

That was a rule that "pops" had pushed unto him, yet in this world of theirs, who were these "honest" folk? The world was enraptured by "heroic" personas. The world right now in its current delusional state was the furthest thing from "honest". A veil covers this world, obscuring the truth, this veil made up of "quirks". Pops refused to understand that, so Overhaul had no choice but to "force" him into retiring.

Currently, Overhaul was in the middle of sizing up his new "pawns" which he had captured from that low security convoy. "Pawns" that the "King of Night" had hastily thrown away, but these "pawns" were certainly hostile to him. He could feel the glare and could already tell that the "League of Villains" was a troublesome bunch. Shigaraki, the so called leader was a dime a dozen man child that this world incessantly cranked out and his followers were the same. Morons cranked out just to be consumed. The only reasonable one of the lot was an obscure mass of black mist in a suit that was trying his best to calm everyone down. Kurogiri seemed like someone smart enough not to be captured by those heroes. He was something like a butler or a baby sitter and Overhaul had always been looking for a better baby sitter.

When negotiating, it was important to establish the pecking order.

"You should do your best to understand your position as nothing more than over-hyped children. It would be best if you left everything to an adult like me."

Before the one who wore sunglasses indoors could act up to the proposal of unconditional surrender, someone started muttering during the meeting.

"You're the same as those corny heroes aren't you?"

Those words were uttered by the youngest one who didn't take Overhaul's dismissal of Shigaraki all too kindly. Overhaul did not exactly have the most intimidating build. He wasn't a hulking monster, nor did he have any horrific physical mutation caused by some quirk. Looks were deceiving. The little boy with the horned hat did not know who he was dealing with.

"How dare you speak…," was all a certain devout underling could utter before he was cut off.

"Settle down Nemoto."

Even if Overhaul hated quirks, he could not deny the utility of a truth talker during negotiations.

"How am I the same as those corny heroes?"

Overhaul did not like the comparison. Shooting a malicious glare, the little boy started to tremble, but his faith in his beliefs were greater than his fear. Kouta continued talking to reinforce what he believed in and what he'll continue to believe in. Quirks have ruined the world, that his the belief that Kouta continues to carry. Just because of some fancy quirk, people are all mad like the man in front of him.

"Putting on some corny mask… acting like some corny comic book villain…."

Kids should be seen and not heard. As a child who lost his parents and was passed onto a relative, he was a child with absolutely no power, but now that he was following Shigaraki, things could start to change. If he wanted to take the reins over his own life, he could not back down now.

"What are you insinuating?," says Nemoto.

The boy was unnerved by Nemoto's glare, but his beliefs were able to overcome that fear. Overhaul decided to humor the young boy. He still wasn't quite sure what to do with a weakling in his ranks, but it wasn't bad to find out what today's youth believed in.

"Boy, what's wrong with this world?"

"…Quirks..." the little boy spits out truthfully under the effect of Nemoto's quirk.

The witch doctor's mask hid the smirk that bloomed on Overhaul's face that surprised even himself. It seemed that the new generation was far from hopeless.

"I might actually have an important job for you specifically."

In this infected world, Overhaul alone had the "cure", but the one with the "cure" coursing through her veins needed to be thoroughly educated. Adults could not get through to children, but other children were a different story.

* * *

The nightmare had passed and it was morning once again, yet it was guaranteed that no one got a good night's sleep. Breakfast was held outdoors and everyone was looking groggy. The meal consisted of nothing but MREs not a far cry from what soldiers centuries ago ate. Everyone was too tired to catch their own meal, not that any wild life would be available for catching considering yesterday's events. Any fresh food in storage was thrown out in fear contamination judging by what happened to some of the kids from class B.

In short, the trip to the Forest Lodge did not go according to plan. The schedule was broken a few hours after the first day. With the exception of Pixie-bob, the Pussycats were all missing in action. In times like this, it was natural to assume that the trip would be cancelled, but crime is akin to lightning.

Crime strikes without warning, but it rarely strikes the same exact area twice. Aizawa looks at the ground.

"Twice was here! (o|o)Y," was scribbled messily in the dirt along with a crude doodle.

Once the protectors of the peace are put on high alert, it is only natural for villains to flee the area. As such, it was only natural to have the kids stay put for a while with the exception of the critically injured.

 _"Things really are quiet…..."_

Bakugo's absence created an unnatural stillness. The several bone fractures were somehow enough to shut him up as he was carted into an ambulance without much fanfare. Tokoyami was carted away as well. All transports were overloaded with the militant villains they had rounded up so Recovery Girl had come to tend to the minor injuries of the students that could still move.

All aspiring heroes have to face the fire eventually and the first years of UA, especially class 1-A have faced it several times already. Even when faced with the grim reality, the kids remain unfaltering.

 _"Certainly different from last year's batch."_

Aizawa looks onto the prosthetic arm that he was hastily assigned. He was having trouble eating breakfast with it.

 _"Red…..."_

It was certainly one of higher quality than what one can find from a back alley doctor these days, even if he wasn't too thrilled about the color. It was one of the perks of being a hero.

 _"It seems I need to step it up…..."_

Losing a limb or two wasn't uncommon for a hero. The math teacher Ectoplasm was such a hero who sported prosthetic legs. Depending on what skills a particular hero employed, such losses were not career ending. The metal fingers are extended and closed in a fist. He tries to pick up the fork, but he falters as the fork falls out of his hands. One could not call oneself a hero without learning new tricks on the job.

Aizawa turns to Kirishima who was looking at the prosthetic with awe despite his worn appearance.

"You can't be serious."

"Rocket Punch" was a special type of move that many young boys had dreamed of having for generations even before the advent of "quirks". With the advances in prosthetic technology, fiction had become non-fiction.

"But ….Rocket PuNCH!...how can I not be jealous…"

Kirishima looks at his own arms and the burn marks on his skin. He was close to losing his arms a few hours ago and was contemplating his decision before Mina punches her "horn buddy" on the back of his head.

"You seriously can't be thinking of that."

The burns on his arms were certainly something different than what her own acid could produce. She initially thought she could have given some advice, but his burns were caused by heat.

 ***Kaboom***

It seemed that some of them were outright skipping breakfast.

* * *

The earth around them was ravaged. Earth was piled up in large bricks. Pixie-bob still littered in injuries was desperately searching, but she could never unearth what she had wanted to see even with the help of the strongest first year.

Deku digs his fingers into the earth and flings it upward while Pixie-bob keeps it together with her quirk.

"It hurts….," were the words of those still living, entrapped in the large clump of dirt that was now aerial. They were like baby loaches squirming around in a piece of tofu. Deku tries to take his mind away from what was in front of him and he ended up thinking of Dojo Tofu.

*rumble*

Deku tries to ignore his hunger and continues his monotonously morbid task.

Pixie-bob ignores the cries of the perpetrators of yesterday's attack. In her mind, her missing team mates were her only priority. The police accompanied by several heroes had already raked the land the day before and only found more members of the terrorist cell. They had left after loading the villains onto vans and had told her to get some rest, but she could not sleep. In her mind, her team mates should be still out there.

"Terra vult…."

Deku takes a deep breath and separates the bodies from the large blocks of earth. Some were living and some were dead. Despite being people of the earth, the earth was not necessarily their ally.

 _"My fingers….."_

Deku had dealt with bodies incased in ice once before, so what he was experiencing wasn't too new, though there was an important distinction. The bodies trapped in earth were his doing. Those crying for help right now were his victims. The heroes yesterday conducted a thorough search, but there did not seem to be an end to those that chant "Terra Vult". There were always more it seemed.

He takes a breath was he separates the living from the dead. The people of the earth were fragile to Deku, but they were still hardier than the average human. Those dead were all victims of asphyxiation rather than physical injuries. A slow and arduous way to go, but Deku shoves that thought out of his mind.

As long as they could draw breath, the survivors would be fine even with their morale broken. To extend a hand to aid those that he had torn down may have been nothing more than something selfish to appease his guilt, but,

 _"There isn't a reason why you shouldn't help people."_

As long as there are people in need of help, Deku will help them as a matter of course. That was his underlying instinct. The wellbeing of innocents and other heroes would always be put above the wellbeing of villains. That was what a hero should do and that was what Deku had done.

"The king…..the king…..," is what one of the helpless Subterraneans cries.

Deku grits his teeth and empties his heart, but what he cannot deny is that,

 _"Loyalty is not something limited to the righteous."_

* * *

If Kouta was asked about what conspired during the last few hours, he could only come up with a blank. He was tossed unceremoniously into a room with the iron bolted door shut behind him.

"Open up you fake doctor!"

No matter what he did, the door did not bulge. It was clear that the fake doctor was still on the other side of the door observing things. The cameras located at every upper corner of the room made it obvious that someone was watching. Kouta bangs and bangs, but to no avail, he could not escape. He desperately tries to pry open the mail box slip, hoping he could somehow knock the door hinge off with a jet of water, but the slit would not open. He tries blasting it with water, but that does nothing. He could feel a gaze upon his back as he did this and he turns his neck to meet that gaze.

The little single-horned girl in the corner wrapped in a blanket quickly covers herself in it to avoid eye contact. Kouta stares at the door once more.

"Sh*tty adults…..," was all he could mutter under his breath. Children were always powerless things.

Shigaraki did nothing as he was carted away by Overhaul's lackeys. He was betrayed once again.

 _"We'll be back soon,"_ was the lie his parents had told him years ago. Adults were all liars.

* * *

 *****Pairing Analysis For the Future*****

 ****Entry 13: Kacchan X ?** Alien Queen****

Kacchan's quirk is the combination of "oxidizing sweat" and "glycerine" from his parents. His father's acidic sweat had combustive properties, but he could not secrete it at will as opposed to his mother who could secrete a glycerin like substance from seemingly any part of her body. Kacchan in contrast seems to limit his quirk to his palms and recently his feet.

Eccerine sweat glands are found all over the skin, but are found in the greatest density around the palms of the hand, soles of the head and the face. The reason he focuses his quirk in his hands is a safety issue? Hands are the part of the body with the most dexterity after all. By forming his fingers in different shapes he is able to achieve different effects. Standard explosions, flash bangs, stun grenades, smoke grenades and shaped blasts. Explosions grant him a great degree of mobility as he zooms through the air!

!Update!

Armor Piercing Shot which he used against Muscular takes advantage of the **Monroe Effect** where the explosive energy is focused into a hollow cavity. His fingers form a pseudo cone to resemble a shaped charge, but shaping one's fingers can only get you so far. Kacchan is smart, so he added sweat storage units to his costume in the form of those tacky grenade themed gauntlets.

Conclusion, though Kacchan can control his secretions, he has limited control over the properties of his sweat itself.

Enter, Mina who can control even the density, viscosity and even solubility of her acidic secretions! Using secretions from her feet, she is able to reduce her coefficient of friction to near zero and skate around!

Hopefully, their child will be Mountbatten Pink in color to match Kacchan's military theme?

Picric acid, a nitrated organic explosive compound sensitive to shock and friction, its ammonium salt form is called **Explosive D** , Dunnite, which is even more powerful than TNT! More unstable too!

How to get Kacchan and Alien Queen alone in a room? Chloroform?

 ****Entry 37: Grape Juice X Invisible Girl?****

The greatest weakness of Grape Juice's sticky balls is the fact that they are huge and hard to miss. However….

* * *

Tsukauchi closes the notebook. It was one of the various items confiscated from the members of LoV. It was hoped that it would contain some valuable information on whoever was pulling the strings behind the organization, but that was not the case. From content to tone, it was absolutely abhorrent drivel. Page spreads of potential quirk marriages and the dubious means to make them into reality. Even so detectives are not strangers to disturbing material, so Tsukauchi reads on. The only thing that was confirmed was that LoV had an unknown means to spy on the students of UA. It would be hard pressed to think that one of the students was a traitor.

Considering the owner of the notebook, Midoriya of class A would have been suspect, if it hadn't been for his considerable list of contributions. The hero in training known as Deku had been indispensible in the USJ incident and quite recently in repelling what the police have quite recently dubbed the "Terra Vult Cult".

Tsukauchi checks his phone for the time and the recent news.

***Articles***

Memorial Being Held for the Victims of Wookies….10hr ago

Endeavor Appears in Court Today…14hr ago

Mutation Discrimination Nation…..25hr ago

The Terra Vult Cult, Product of Segregation?….…27hr ago

***Prev***Next***

The detective needed a drink.

* * *

Toga leans on the wall within a hallway with Twice opposite to her and Magne beside her. They were on guard duty. Everyone was a little peeved at the new arrangements under the Yakuza. Toga tries to lighten the mood.

"Hey, hey…any clue what they did to our little kid?"

"Some people have tasteless hobbies," Magne quips.

"Ain't that right big sister, It's a wonder how that guy has friends that follow him," Twice muses with his arms crossed. Even with a mask on, he did not look as cool as he believed.

"It's too bad I didn't get to make any friends, summer camp ended too quickly!" Toga says with her arms crossed behind her back. Her disappointment was hard to miss. Taken out of context, she would have looked like any high school girl.

"I thought I was making a friend, but it seems we were too different," was what Magne reminisces about Tiger. Besides being born in the wrong type of body, the villain and the hero did not have too much in common. Not much was felt when Kurogiri whisked Tiger away into a black void with the words, "1 more for the full set".

"Today's heroes are disappointing aren't they?" Spinner says as he jumps down from a ventilation shaft. He looks at the pathetic 5th wheel that was hunched over into a frilly ball scribbling away with inaudible mumbling.

 _*scribble*scribble*scribble*_

Frantically scribbling away at an empty notebook in a zoned out trance ignorant to all surroundings, trying desperately to recreate what was lost which can never be reclaimed. Weeks of thinking, weeks of jotting, all those page spreads were **All For Nothing**. Even so, the pen did not stop. Magne opens her mouth once again.

"As I was saying, some people have tasteless hobbies."

* * *

The hours pass in that small secluded space and Kouta simply observes the thing beneath the blanket with his back against the opposite corner.

 _*plop*_

A tray of "food" was slipped through the slit in the door. Boiled edamane beans, some spinach that was unmistakably once frozen and a generous plate of grilled liver sandwiches. The food was accompanied by two cartons of milk to wash it all down, with the words "iron-fortified" on the side.

 _*grumble*_

Kouta obeys his stomach and takes the tray of "food". Everything on the menu was rich in iron. He takes a bite out of a sandwich and noted that whoever was responsible for the meal couldn't cook. He stares at the lump beneath the blanket in the corner.

 _*grumble*_

The rumbling stomach that wasn't his catches his attention. Kouta musters his courage and places the tray beside the lump and with one swift motion tears the blanket away.

"Your arms…..,," was all he could say at the sight.

Arms wrapped in bandages. The bandages were unsightly things that the girl desperately tried to hide, but there was nothing to hide behind. No more words could be said. Who did that to her? That was a question that did not need to be answered.

The girl wraps herself once more in the blanket and Kouta leaves the food in front of her after taking his share. Kouta takes his corner of the room and simply stares. The minutes pass and the blanket envelopes the food. It was only when Kouta saw this could he himself begin eating. Chewing his food slowly, tears flow out of his eyes.

 _"I'm sorry mom... dad..."_

Kouta hated heroes and wanted nothing to do with quirks, yet at this moment, from the bottom of his heart, Kouta more than anything wished for a hero.

* * *

Technology had changed over the years to be more convenient, but Saitama would disagree. Smartphones weren't exactly new when he worked as a hero, but he could not recall if he ever owned one. Money was always tight. He had bought a new phone with his salary, but he still had a hard time figuring it out completely.

 _"Removing buttons, ports and these gestures…"_

Technology advanced and problems were solved, but technology also had the habit of creating new problems. Saitama had seen the world change and the world fall into disarray.

"Why did they have to change all the names around? Whatever happened to naming places after letters?" is what he protests as once again, he found himself in the wrong place.

Saitama misses the days when cities were just called City A or Z. Then a certain someone had the bright idea of ditching the simple letters. The constant monster attacks and societal upheaval certainly complicated maps during the eventual reconstruction efforts. Roads disappeared and new roads appeared where buildings once were. Mountains that did not exist in Saitama's youth had appeared over the centuries from some rude monster. In a world such as theirs, geography was a confusing thing.

Despite the many detours, Saitama eventually ends up where he wanted to go.

"Finally?"

All around him was gouged out earth and destroyed buildings. The Forest Lodge did not look like anything in the picture his "smartphone" presented. It seemed someone out there wanted to make the subject of geography even more confusing.


	18. Chapter 18: Difficulties in Education

Ch18: Difficulties in Education

The fake doctor enters the room, but the patient does not scream. The little girl wrapped in bandages has become used to the pain and the anemia resulting from the daily procedure. Though she makes no sound, the stream of tears running down her face could not be missed. The procedure was downright medieval; the kook was even wearing a plague doctor's mask. Kouta, the little boy is simply ignored in the corner as he watches.

Kouta did not know much about medicine, but he knew whatever the fake doctor was doing had no basis in the girl's well being. The only solace he found was that his own blood was never drawn. The fake doctor does not touch him or even watch him as he performs his operation.

 _"That rules out vampire…."_

There were many quirks that existed in the world that used blood in some way, but based on his limited conjecture, he knew that the little horned girl's blood must have been special in some way. It was another reason why Kouta didn't want anything to do with quirks. He grits his teeth and looks away from the horrifying scene. Even though he was not in pain, the situation was distressing and tears ran down his cheeks just like the girl's in front of him. She was helpless and he was helpless to help her.

 _"Where are you corny heroes? Please…Please…"_

In comic books, this would be the moment when a hero appears to save the day, but reality was a different matter. No hero would save them. Life was not that convenient. He wasn't some main character that the plot would bend over backwards to aid. Kouta remembers the words Shigaraki had said on live television those months ago.

 _「_ _When I was in trouble as a child. "The heroes will", "before long the heroes will", everyone said things like that, but truthfully, they were trying to ignore me, brushing me aside, so they could continue smiling like nothing happened. It's not like it's their responsibility, a hero will do something, but by the same measure….._ _」_

Kouta grits his teeth and clenches his little fists.

 _"It's not my fault. If a hero won't show up, then it's not my fault if I….If I."_

 **SPLASH**

Overhaul's clothes and his mask was drenched with water with obvious origin. The water drips all over the floor and Eri is taken aback by what had just transpired. Whatever was happening wasn't routine. Overhaul was not amused. Wet and damp, the breeding ground for mold. It was unsanitary. It was unacceptable. It was unacceptable. It was unacceptable. It was unacceptable. It was unacceptable. **It was unacceptable.** IT WAS UNNACCEPTABLE.

"You…YOU!"

Without thinking, Kouta's gathered resolve was thrown at the fake doctor and as a result, the fake doctor without looking grabs onto the boy's guilty arm. For but a moment, Kouta felt an indescribable pain as his arm was unmade and remade right in front of him at high speed. It happened so fast, he couldn't believe it actually happened. It wouldn't have been a stretch that everything in front of Kouta was nothing more than a nightmare he just had to wake up from, but in this world with quirks, **nightmares were reality**.

"Gahhh….," is the short cry the young boy lets out trying his best to suppress the **phantom pain**.

The fake doctor turns his neck and adjusts his focus to the edge of his sight where he spots the boy who had just splashed him with water. With water that wasn't boiled first. With water that certainly did not come from the tap. With water that certainly did not come from a bottle from a safe reputable source. With water that wasn't checked for microbial content. Considering quirks were all biological mechanisms, who on earth knows what was festering in that water?

"….a…"

Kouta tries to speak, but that was all that he could produce form his mouth. The fake doctor's plain appearance turned out to be nothing more than a lie. In front of the young boy, the devil was standing before him, devouring his sanity with his stare.

"Hahhh."

Overhaul breathes out and tries to collect himself. The boy wasn't acting like he had planned and never do so if the boy was reduced to a sniveling state. It seemed the boy needed to be educated before he could be counted upon educating Eri.

"You say you don't want anything to do with quirks…."

Overhaul takes out one of the failed prototypes. If the boy can make Eri more cooperative, then it would have been worth the cost. He walks up to the boy with the syringe in hand and kicks him in the stomach for his transgression. The boy falls over with saliva contaminating the floor.

 _*cough*cough*_

Kouta is sprawled belly down on the floor. Kouta almost loses his lunch and before he knows it, he feels a sharp piercing pain in his hand.

"aaaAhhh."

Kouta grits his teeth trying to tone down his voice. Instead, his fight or flight response kicks in and he whips his hand out with fingers outstretched, but nothing is produced from his open palm.

"Huh?"

On the floor that was once jabbed into his arm was a used syringe. The broken needle was still burrowed in his skin. It would have hurt, but the young boy was high on adrenaline. Despite that, he did not lose his reason.

"It's only temporary, but for now, you have no quirk. I pegged you as different from the masses, so you must know the value of my work," is what comes out of the plague doctor's drenched mask without much emotion.

 _"No quirk?"_

The fact takes a while to settle in.

 _"No quirk?"_

Kouta's breathing intensifies.

"Haaah."

It was a strange feeling but his quirk was gone. The thing he had inherited from his late parents. The thing he had for a good chunk of his life. The thing he blamed for all the ills of the world was no longer something he had a slice of.

The footsteps do not register in the young boy's mind. The fake doctor steps out and slams the door behind him with him shouting for a change of clothes.

"Haaah."

Even though his quirk was gone, water was pouring out of his body. Not from his hands, but from his eyes.

* * *

All For One paces around and inspects his storehouse of Noumu. Each one placed in a crude tank. The hidden biomedical facility was a crude one, but even so, All For One knew for a fact that it was better than what the Yakuza had. Why else would they ask his student of all people for money? He had fully received the little souvenirs from his student's short trip to Summer Camp courtesy of Kurogiri; the full set of quirks from the Wild Wild Pussycats save for one.

/*All But One*/

His fist is clenched in annoyance as Pixie-bob was still required to complete the full set. He wonders if what his student did was intentional. Nothing aggravates collectors more than a near complete set. Shigaraki was always a little cheeky, but to have enough gall to pull something over his dear old Sensei? All For One's cheeks were starting to hurt and it wasn't because half his face was missing. He was missing his face for several years now and that hasn't changed recently as he felt his hands over his face, it was then he realized that he was smiling.

/*Hahahahahaha*/

After summer camp was over, his young apprentice had gotten himself an internship. Tenko certainly grew up to be quite the go getter, despite what first impressions of him would suggest.

/*Overhaul was it?*/

Maybe Shimura was right about him, but isn't that true for everyone? When self absorbed know nothings are trying their best, to move forward, it's only natural to laugh at them when they fall.

/*Hahahahahaha*/

* * *

The wheels on the bus spin round and round. Saitama sits with his student who wasn't making a sound. From that complicated expression, there was certainly something abound. The question was "could the reason be found?"

When Saitama had stumbled upon the camp grounds, all he could see were various mounds. There was no need to guess what was within those mounds. They were the corpses of the monsters originating from the ground. Next to the bus they were in was an armored transport van headed for the pound for criminals known as jail.

As Saitama looks onto the boy, what would cheering him up entail? Even though most monsters would go down in a single wail before him; granted they weren't especially frail, cheering someone up was something that he could possibly fail. He needed some words that could hit the nail without fail, but to his avail, he could not think of them. It was quite the problem.

"You haven't aged at all," were the words of the old diminutive man in the seat across from them.

The old man known as Gran Torino knew for a fact that the bald man across from him was the very opposite of brummagem. Saitama was the proverbial cog that maintained the world's delicate ecosystem.

Saitama was the man Gran Torino admired and he wasn't alone. The sight of Saitama's back had also served as Nana's cornerstone. It was that fluttering white cape and a nonchalant smile that could completely change the tone. His mere presence is enough for any heavy atmosphere to be undone. Saitama certainly was a hero that many had once sought to emulate.

"Hmmm…..," Saitama looks at the short elder and begins to contemplate.

"You seem….shorter?" was all Saitama could think to utter.

"You…remember?"

"How could I forget?" the bald man says with a cheeky smile.

For someone like the Caped Baldy whom the populace took for granted, even the little things come a long mile. Many times his thoughts drifted away. A thankless job he had worked, monotonous day after monotonous day. As a hero, the people he had wanted to save kept drifting farther away, yet there were always moments that convinced him to stay.

Every once in a while, he would meet a kid or two that would make him remember the reason why he started his path and continued to stay on that path. Like his old companions who had become relics of the past, he would always meet new people that would prevent him from becoming a total apath.

That atmosphere clearing smile that bloomed on Saitama's face was infectious and Deku who sat beside him regained his own conviction. A smirk forms as he relaxes and is relieved of his hypertension. A palm is slammed in the back of Deku's back without any admonition.

"There will always be bad days, but if a hero runs away, who will stay and fight?"

"I can't say you aren't right."

Such was the end of the young boy's short personal plight. It had always peeved Gran Torino that Saitama had never gained the same notoriety as All Might. Saitama too was more than just a hero that had never lost a fistfight. It seemed that his shining scalp was simply too bright, blinding the majority with that beckoning light.

* * *

Mirio was never a natural with his quirk. Permeation was always a finicky thing that seemed to cause more trouble that it was worth. He was no stranger to falling through the floor, losing his clothes or getting stuck in walls, but if he was never born with such a troublesome quirk, he would never have found his resolve. He had almost drowned one day because of his finicky quirk, but a passing hero had saved him.

Accidental deaths caused by quirks are a natural thing in this world of theirs, but even so, people continue moving forward.

It was by moving forward that he gained the guidance of Sir Nighteye and only through that guidance did he get as far as he had. The ability that was almost like a disability became a superpower because of Sir Nighteye's meticulous instruction. From that frame of reference unfortunately that it was obvious that All Might's guidance was somewhat lacking.

They were situated in the middle of one of UA's exam centers that were supposed to be filled with fake buildings, but they had all been reduced to rubble. All Might's voice reverberates in that wasteland.

"Squeeze your buttocks and in your heart, yell SMASH!"

Mirio puffs his cheeks and does what he is told and attacks the series of walls erected by Cementoss.

 **SMASH**

A mighty gale originating from Mirio's fist knocks a row of concrete slabs like dominoes. Sir Nighteye looks on with his expression hidden behind his glasses. The power of One For All was certainly great, but Cementoss, who was called in to quickly erect new targets had something to add.

"Isn't it about time you practiced something else?"

Sir Nighteye, whose look screamed "accountant" rather than "hero" let alone All Might's former sidekick tried to break it gently to the sentient slab of concrete. With his eyes hidden by his glasses and the trick of the light, the following words are dropped.

"They tried."

It was true that the stockpiled physical power of One For All was undeniable, but the fact it was overkill for 99% of hero work was also undeniable. The work of a great hero involved many things such as rescue, apprehension and avoiding property damage. Heroes rarely go for the kill, and 100% was simply 1000% overkill. Such things usually required a "light touch" and this "light touch" was not something All Might could teach to Mirio.

"I don't think I can use this in most fights," is the unfortunate truth that Mirio forces himself to say.

"It would certainly be a PR nightmare if you used this against every villain you came across, that's for sure," as All Might is reminded of Gran Torino's long stories about Saitama's rather poor reputation.

Mirio was getting tired and his muscles were getting sore, throwing 100% over and over again. Putting in 100% was all he could do. Mirio had trained under All Might for a while, but what he had gleamed under that time wasn't much. Mirio hoped that Nighteye could pitch in and help him uncover the intricacies of his new quirk just as he did with his original quirk. It was for that reason, Nighteye was invited to watch. He looks at his reliable mentor with eyes that seemed to say,

"Help."

Sir Nighteye turns to the face of the genuinely smiling All Might who seemed to be elated with the "progress" and turns back to Mirio, shooting a pleading glare,

"But he looks so happy."

It took Mirio years to figure out the intricacies of his quirk and it wasn't until he interned under Sir Nighteye that his quirk truly became a viable tool for a proper hero. In that stretch of time before that fateful meeting, he had trained his body religiously and it showed. Considering the wardrobe malfunctions his quirk tended to cause, his honed physique was hard to hide.

 _"You know that heroes are special right? Anyone off the street can train their body, but with a quirk like th…."_

 _"Thank you for your patronage!"_

Respond with thumbs up and a smile, maybe throw in some tongue for good measure. It was always important to keep positive. In the end, his efforts weren't wasted. Even without using his quirk, with his strength and skill alone, few could match him in a fight. The physique he honed over the years was the reason why he was able to inherit "One For All" without too many complications.

His quirk permeation allowed him to turn any part intangible. When used on his entire body, the world could no longer influence him, but he could no longer influence with the world. In those moments, where photons could not touch his eyes and his lungs could not receive any oxygen had honestly kept him awake as a child, but to become a hero, one must eventually overcome such things.

 _"My quirk, Permeation, when I use it, it's either on or off, 0% or 100%, there is no in-between, only absolutes."_

That was the fundamental problem he had with One For All. 100% was simply overkill in most situations a hero encountered.

 _"If only we had ramen sooner."_

He was suspicious of All Might's secret and this hypothetical "One For All". He honestly thought it was a ploy to get him to train harder like the divine water one could find on top of a certain tower. All Might's persistence was a little unsettling to say the least. He tried to refuse eating that strand of hair on several occasions, even with Nighteye yelling at him through the phone. He honestly thought that Sir's reverence for All Might had blinded him, but then on a certain day, he was caught off guard when they visited that ramen stall.

 _"It was legit after all."_

The revelation was quite the shock. It wasn't something All Might cooked up from an old manga after all. He takes a breath and breathes out.

"Okay, the new targets are ready," is what Cementoss wearily announces.

Mirio stares at the row of white concrete slabs. The same ones he had to phase through when he was practicing with the quirk he was born with. He remembers those failed attempts when he was only able to phase half way through those obstacles, but in the end, all learning is derived from failure.

 _"I can make a part of my body intangible, so…"_

It was a long shot, but he applies the new foreign quirk to the tip of his index finger and readies his hand as if he was playing paper football.

 **"Paper Hail Mary Pass!"**

The tip of his finger kicks the air with greater force than most would use to kick a football by several orders of magnitude. The propelled packet of air slams into the first concrete slab cracking the surface, but nothing more. Such a thing would serve an adequate non-lethal ranged takedown.

A grin blooms on Mirio's face and one blooms on Nighteye's as well. Even with his eyes hidden by his glasses and the trick of the light, pride wasn't something he could hide. Cementoss was glad his work was going to get a little easier. Putting up all those concrete barriers was honestly tiring. Even though All Might knew the intent behind Mirio's move, Saitama was unfortunately rubbing off on him.

"Hmmmm, that one was a bit lacking that time, but it will have to do."


	19. Chapter 19: Those to be Judged

Ch19: Those to be Judged

"It's my fault."

It was an almost inaudible whisper. Though shaky, though soft, there was no shred of doubt in the girl's voice.

"…?"

Though the boy's cheeks were wet, his sadness had settled into a calm anger. He knows the intent behind those words. It was the little bandaged girl's way of saying, _"don't cry",_ but Kouta's tears had already stopped as he wipes away the residue on his face. Without much emotion, he states the obvious fact.

"It's not your fault."

Children are not smart, but they aren't stupid either. Even though he can't see her face, it was clear to Kouta that the girl does not cry and he can't help but feel at a loss. There might not have been any meaning for him to parrot her words.

 _"Boys don't cry, especially in front of a girl."_

It was "common sense" that young boys threw around. Such was the black and white lens children look through. If he continued crying, he felt like there was much more to lose. It was a funny thing really. He claimed to hate heroes. He had ranted about how he never wanted to have anything to do with quirks and he had just shed tears after losing his, even if the effects were supposed to be temporary. His quirk was one of the last few ties remaining with his late heroic parents. His parents, his quirk and his everyday life were things he had taken for granted. When his parents died following their ideals, he blamed the society that did nothing but spout those same mass produced ideals. A society shaped by quirks. Kouta was but a child and the only thing he could do was complain.

 _"I'm pathetic."_

He stares at the lump under the blanket. The girl was only around his age and was probably stuck in their current situation for years, but did not shed one tear. He wonders if she's laughing at him under the blanket. Kouta grits his teeth and lets his insecurity flow out his mouth.

"I'm not strong like you okay!"

 _"Strong?"_

Eri did not cry, but she did not laugh either. She lacked the ability to articulate how she felt. "Despair", "Happiness", "Hope", were all words she was never taught. She never went to school after all nor had any knowledge such places existed. Their current situation to her was simply the natural state of things. Pain was something that was inevitable. That was why she couldn't understand the boy calling her "strong". Being "strong" was a blessing, but she was not blessed. Without any doubt, she corrects him.

"You're wrong. I'm cursed."

She was a "trouble maker" that only caused trouble for others. She was someone who has never helped anyone else, yet harbored the desire to be helped by others. She hated her treatments and she had always wanted out, but one small misstep would always cause someone to "break". Everything in this world was fragile and she was someone who would inevitably "break" them, yet she still selfishly wishes to be outside. There was no forgiveness for someone like her.

"Cursed," is the word Kouta savors in his mouth.

It was not apparent to her, but those were words Kouta frequently heard high school students say; high school students that didn't quite graduate from the 8th grade. Thanks to quirks, those same high school students don't ever truly grow up. He always tagged along with his aunt to summer camp and would always overhear corny weirdos saying things like, "Blast reality, burst it to shreds, banishment this world…." , "I am my own ghost", "How can I die when I'm already dead?", "The die is cast", and quite recently, "What a mad banquet of Darkness." Kouta may have reprimanded anyone else for saying such words, but the girl was different. She, a kid around his age harbored guilt even if it should have been the adults that should feel guilty.

Kouta stares at his hand as he clenches his fist. All his life he had known people older than him who never harbored guilt; doing whatever they pleased, believing themselves right. His parents, Shigaraki and that fake doctor.

He turns his gaze to the one beside him and acknowledges that he wasn't alone.

All adults were like that. Mental patients that ran without stopping, without regard to responsibility while having powerless children carry the burden.

 _"This shall not stand…..but"_

The fake doctor may be insane, but he was seeking to cure insanity. The insanity brought upon by quirks. Quirks made each and everyone "special" and under that delusion they were able to pursue stupid dreams. Drunk on those dreams, kids would grow up to become corny heroes. The doctor sought to destroy those delusions. The doctor sought the "cure". If Kouta was ignorant of how this "cure" was made, he would have wholeheartedly supported the quack, but Kouta knows the quack is a quack.

 _"He's sick too."_

Even a child could see that the fake doctor who wore that beak-like mask was drunk on his own delusions of destroying everyone else's delusions. The quack was a hypocrite that sought to destroy quirks with quirks. Despite that, there is something Kouta has to admit.

 _"Even if it's wrong, he has an answer."_

That was in contrast to the boy who had no idea where to start and did nothing but complain. He was a hypocrite too. Strength is worthless without a goal, which was why those without knowledge are powerless. So the boy sits down and ponders. He has his entire life to plot his answer, but right now he needed the first step.

* * *

Reviewing some medical files along the way, the doctor enters the room of a certain patient. He stares at the young bandaged boy with casts all over his body and with a heavy heart, he breaks the news.

"I'm sorry, but maybe you should give up on being a hero."

Those were the words of some old looking doctor to the young Bakugo who was sprawled over a hospital bed covered in various casts. From the x-rays of his broken leg, not to mention other various bone fractures throughout the rest of his body, it would be a miracle if Bakugo could stand again.

"Do you know who I AM?"

The winner of the recent Sports Festival wasn't exactly unknown.

"I have your name right….."

"THE NUMBER ONE HERO IN THE MAKING!"

The doctor sometimes regrets his choice of career. If only he listened to his parents.

"I'm sorry….., but with the condition of your leg then…"

"CUT IT OFF!"

"Excuse….?"

"GIVE ME A CYBERNETIC ONE LIKE STILT-LEGS!"

Even the teachers at UA weren't immune to the nicknames.

"But your leg doesn't need to be amputated…."

Bakugo tries to reach for the phone on the counter at his bedside, but he cannot. His arm can move, but the rest of his body cannot.

"You don't tell me what surgery I want, I tell YOU! DOCTOR, CUT MY LEG OFF! I WANT A ROBOT LEG! TUNGSTEN!"

That villain he fought that gave him his injuries was supped up with all sorts of cybernetics. If they can give some low life trash an artificial eye, they can give him a sweet robot leg can't they? It's not like cybernetics are in their infancy, they have been around for centuries. When looking up info on that baldy, that cyborg beside him was hard to miss. There must be a medical conspiracy just like with health insurance.

"Even with cybernetics…."

"You already gave me the facts, but I don't need opinions. Get me my phone and I'll call the support department. I'll order up a tungsten leg with ROCKETS! Those nerds don't tell me what to invent, I tell THEM! How do you think I got these!"

The injured boy puts emphasis on his wrists, completely forgetting that he isn't wearing his grenade shaped gauntlets.

"I don't care if I have to amputate both legs, JUST DO IT!"

"Rocket legs? As a practiced medical practitioner, that is just more lawsuits to….."

"Cut the legs and let me soar! Let's hit it! Let's roll! All you need to do is cut off my legs. If your not on board, no, even if you are on board, screw you and your father! Hey, I'm the one taking all the risks. I won't hog all the glory when cybernetics become the defacto standard for heroes. Hey WORLD, this is how crime is fought now!"

The doctor tries to contemplate what was happening before him and he arrives at the most logical conclusion and quickly scribbles it in a notebook he produces from his pocket.

"Are you high on the pain killers? You must be high on the pain killers…Note to self…subscribe less mg of.."

Katsuki was getting more and more annoyed as the conversation went on.

"You're just a doctor, LET THE ENGINEERS HANDLE THIS!"

In that moment, the door of the room is blown wide open.

"KATSUKI, YOU DON'T SPEAK TO THE DOCTOR LIKE THAT!"

Entering the room was the woman Bakugo inherited his tongue from. A woman with gorgeous skin so smooth, you wouldn't think she would be old enough to be the mother of a teenage boy already.

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU, OLD HAG!"

His mother crosses her arms. It was a good thing her quirk kept her skin in good condition because any other woman would have had premature wrinkles if she scowled as much as her.

"15 years and your still as irritating as the day I birthed you.."

Katsuki was still reaching for his phone. Inching his fingers, but it was pointless.

"How motherly for you to bring that up! Phone NOW!"

Mitsuki knew her son was simply a big fish in a small pond. She believed that going to UA, which was teeming with big fish, she believed her son would finally realize how small he actually was. Maybe naming him "Katsuki" was a mistake. She had hoped things would change once her son entered high school.

"Going to UA, did it not knock you down a few pegs?"

The doctor tries his best to defuse the situation.

"Well, Ingenium also had some career ending injuries, but you know with quirks anything goes, so I'll phone him up and see if I can connect you with the person who…."

Just because Katsuki was usually a ball of rage did not mean his mind was cloudy. He could already guess what was behind Ingenium's miraculous recovery. He wasn't going to play into their hands. There was no hesitation whatsoever.

"Rejected."

* * *

Birthdays come and go. In ancient times when child mortality was high, a birthday was a celebration of survival. In those days before sanitation, plumbing and when bad harvests guaranteed famine, death was a common companion. Like all the other animals on Earth, couples would have as many kids as they could because it was a fact that only a fraction of them would survive into adulthood. It was a forgotten sentiment in certain eras of prosperity and death was on the minds of only the few. This was certainly true in the Age of All Might, but times were quickly becoming turbulent.

Protestors were congregating next to the bridge to Tartarus. On that isolated island, it was Greek mythology made real, a dungeon where the worst of sinners would spend eternity or at least the rest of their lives. Row by row, trucks filled with the "true people of the earth" waiting to enter the "underworld".

 _"Like a school of fish getting caught in the flow."_

Gunhead and the Sand Hero Snatch were overseeing the protestors with a group of police officers, ensuring nothing happened to the convoys.

"A nice summer day, a great day for a barbecue…," Snatch muses.

Everywhere, the heroes were stretched thin. The public wasn't pleased with the fact that a group of people had been secluded underground for centuries. Not because these people were terrorists, no, but because someone posted a conspiracy theory on the internet that gained traction. Dispersing the protestors would only fuel that sentiment, so the heroes were only watching. Watching the convoys and hoping that the protestors stayed peaceful.

"Destro's mission is still left incomplete!"

An HNA reporter steadies her microphone, trying to catch every word of the one on the podium. The man wore a top hat and seemed accustomed to talking in front of a large audience, possibly even performing.

 _"Flocking towards the ideals of someone else."_

The True People of the Earth were so numerous that they could not all be loaded up onto armored caravans. It was only natural that some escaped and of those few that escaped, some of them were able to find shelter. Of those few, a certain injured one was picked off the ground as one might pick up a "marble".

 _"Fish speaking to fish. Fish in a barrel."_

Sako, known as Mister Compress when masked had tried reading Shigaraki's intentions of being caught intentionally and such was the conclusion he came up with. The League of Villains had various members, but only the ones who were rounded by the police were known to Overhaul. The others had free reign to operate however they pleased, so the man who loved masks was putting his own little plan into action. The kindling had already been set with all the recent incidents so all that was needed was a significant little spark.

"Without further ado, my friend has something to say."

He was a showman and was a little distraught for not being the center of attention as he exits the stage. That attention was grabbed by the one armed mole man who was sobbing. On the podium, one of the "True People of the Earth" describes his story. The citizens could see the various wounds, the missing arm and disfigured face. Offerings burned on an altar to create the modern era. That was what the "True People of the Earth" were.

"I n-never thought I would be able to speak. I lived my whole life underground with my head down, but today is different!"

The mole man was just a nameless Subterranean of no importance, but precisely because of that, he was chosen. Words were awkward at first, but the flames of his resolve propel his voice.

"I have no choice but to SPEAK! Fellow earthlings, all people of the EARTH, we have been divided and conquered. Regardless of how we live, we are all cattle. Those elites who stand on the top have abandoned us, branding us as monsters, but I ask of you, what have we done?

We the People of the Earth simply lived underground, wishing for the surface, but it was denied to us because it was convenient for those elites. We always lived in fear that the Earth would consume us. In this land of earthquakes, we have endured, but that did not mean we did not desire more. We were jealous.

That jealousy was simply a tool to divide us. We grew angry, while you grew complacent with your lot in life.

Our great leader, the one I had called King, was sacrificed. He only wanted us to experience the surface that you lot enjoy, but he is no longer with us. His life taken by what this society calls a "hero in training"."

 **"Seriously?" was what some in the crowd would mutter.**

 **"Called it!" another would yell.**

"WHY?

We wanted to live on the surface as you do, but there is not enough land to go around the elites would say. Packed in things you call "skyscrapers" and "apartments" within them.

Land is a limited commodity. There simply isn't enough living space. That was why we were forced underground. That is why many of you live in such cramped concrete squalor just as we did. Just as we feared those tremors underground, you fear them too as you are trapped in the sky.

Yet, is there a shortage of surface land?

These outrageous prices, who can afford them?"

 **"The Elites!" "The Elites!" "The Elites!" "The Elites!" the crowd would chant.**

"The prices are high, because there is a shortage of land, yet when it comes to those private soldiers called "heroes", there are plenty wide open spaces for training!

Many believe that the fight for equality is over. That the man you called Destro ultimately succeeded in his goals, and the elites had listed, but that is not true. That is nothing more than a convenient lie that those elites have fabricated.

By growing complacent and putting faith in the guardians of those government elites you are playing into their trap!

If one day, you must be sacrificed for their convenience, will you do it willingly?"

 **"HELL NO!"**

"The war is not over. Never forget that they have trampled us and will trample all of you in time. Many of my….no our brothers have perished in the face of our enemy."

 **"THE FAKES."**

"What of Stain who tried to fight against that flow?"

 **"THEY CAGED HIM."**

"What of the League of Villains that tried putting our situation into light?"

 **"THEY SILENCED THEM."**

"Compared to the enemy, we are weak and they are strong. Our resources, our training and our everything cannot be compared to theirs, yet how have we persisted? Every time we are buried, we monsters always find a way to rise up week after week.

It's because we the weak are the ones truly just!

They may win the day, but we will rise every week! Monsters they call us….. The status quo cannot STAND!

Victory is the greatest tribute we can pay for thos…"

 ***bang***

A shot is heard.

*thud*

The speaker falls dead on the podium. The cause was a single slug to the cranium.

"They are shooting at us!"

The protestors turn their gaze on the police and the heroes who were watching the protest.

"Wait, this is…" is what Gunhead tries to say before the crowd charges.

 **"MINUS ULTRA PLUS CHAOS!"** is what Mr. Compress yells into the crowd as he makes his getaway.

 **"MINUS ULTRA PLUS CHAOS!"** is what the protestors repeat as they charge against the police.

 **"MINUS ULTRA PLUS CHAOS!"** is what protestors continue to repeat as some of them try to flee the scene with a certain unmasked man fleeing with them.

 **"MINUS ULTRA PLUS CHAOS!"** were the words recorded on someone's smart phone, uploaded onto the internet, in fact, the whole speech was, sparking more internet discussions on various forums.

"Who fired shot!" is what the police chief yells in his radio.

The barricade was overrun in minutes. Police cruisers were smashed by giant feet. Tear gas was thrown into the crowd, yet a **heavy gale** blew the gas away. Punches are thrown. Shots of keratin pepper the crowd. The crowd responds with jets of water to oppose the water hoses. Fliers rise from the crowd and rocks are thrown downward onto the armored cars. A cascade of stone befalls the police officers. The police officers return fire with rubber bullets. A charging group of beast-kin make the charge past the bullets that bounce harmlessly off them. The ground beneath them changes with the movement of sand. The land is changed around them and the noise they made could be heard miles away.

There were no "ultra" to this dispute, only "chaos" remained.

* * *

Hidden in a tree, Mustard's fingers tremble as the exotic gun in his hand shakes after firing that one shot. The one shot that would make all the difference. A smile blooms on his face as he admires his own handiwork.

"My new quirk….."

For his outstanding performance at the Forest Lodge, Mustard was given a reward by the one their leader called **Sensei**. The very quirk of the hero he had captured was now his. Unlike those fakes attending UA, Mustard was different and his efforts were finally acknowledged. The quirk known as " **Homing** " that allowed one to control the trajectory of one's shots.

"Haahhahaha….."

A shadowy figure stands on the branch opposite to him.

"Gloating just because you received a gift from master."

"What gift did he give you, you over glorified chauffeur?"

Kurogiri was not amused at the upstart's remark.

"We're leaving."

* * *

The police were outnumbered and cars were being tossed about. Even if a hero is trained, against an army of quirk users, few could come up on top.

It was then, he appeared, a white cape and a bald head, the Caped Baldy. Out of the blue he stands on the podium, yet everyone ignores him.

*sigh*

He jumps down from the podium and grabs the nearest protestor, a rhino man by the horn with his left. Tossing him to the ground he delivers a punch with his right.

 ***kaboom***

The earth shakes and the bridge buckles. Everyone's sight is drawn onto the man and the crater he created. They saw the unmoving body of a rhinoman in that crater. It was the sight of downed prey. The atmosphere became suffocating for everyone in the vicinity knew their place as prey. For those who held doubt in their actions, the place was unbearable.

"Human supremacist…," were the words of an old penguin in the crowd.

To many with mutation quirks, the Caped Baldy was a creature mothers tell to their kids at bed time. Garbed in yellow, a white cape and a bald head, the human-looking inhuman spells certain doom. Before throwing a punch, that creature will snuff out your existence as a matter of fact.

"It's a summer blowout at the farmer's market you know? And what do I run across on my way their?"

The words are nonsensical, but the tone is unmistaken-able. The man before them was angry and it was clear that he could end them in an instant. Thus, everyone was still, but not everyone. There those that get a little jumpy when faced with apex predators.

"Fake!"

A boy with a masked draped over his face with a wooden sword in hand charges at the man, but that wooden sword is broken by some unseen force. The crowd is drawn onto the scene. The old man delivers the following words without yelling, yet with the air so still around them, it was something even the hearing impaired could hear.

"Go home."

The words held no patience. The words held no mercy. To disobey was not an option.

"G-got i-it," is what the masked boy mumbles to himself, yet with his shaking legs, he could not flee.

"You need help?"

The force of nature extends his gloved hand, but the child's fear of the one before him overcomes the fear of death and with strength in his legs he runs away without thinking about the future. The other rioters follow suit, with speed unknown to them.

"WahhHH!" X568

The crowd is dispersed with the stiff tension along with it.

 ***CRASH*SPLASH***

The buckling bridge could not handle the stress and it is split in two. The police sirens go off and Saitama is taken in for questioning.

"Of course…..," is what Saitama says with a heavy sigh.

"Did you j-just kill him?" is what a stuttering Gunhead says to the stranger looking at the rhino man in the crater.

"N-no, I just made it look like I punched him to scare the crowd!" he says with a flustered face.

Once again, a misunderstanding occurs. The daily life of the Caped Baldy, the hero everyone needs, but might not deserve.

* * *

Nedzu along with Aizawa takes a seat across the Midoriya's coffee table. The mother and son are fidgeting, only thinking about the worst possible reasoning for the sudden visit.

"E-expulsion? I-I k-know that I…."

Izuku still holds regret for the things he had done. For the lives he could not save and the lives he had ignored. It wouldn't be unthinkable for him to be judged unfit to become a hero after what he had done on an emotional high.

"E-explusion?"

Inko proceeds to think of the unsavory things her son has been hiding from her. Ever since he became strong, he had become a little rebellious.

"That's not it," Aizawa clarifies.

Nedzu proceeds to break into a smile to defuse the situation.

"With a heavy heart, I would like to make an apology."

Izuku could barely fathom the words that said, but he quickly catches on to the last part.

"I'm s-sor…a-apology?"

Nedzu looks over the boy's reaction and confirms that he had made a wrong initial assessment. The boy held illogical strength and with an origin that in no way explained that strength. Diagnosed as "quirkless", despite coming from a family that had 4 generations worth of quirks, the boy was a statistical anomaly, but Nedzu had to admit that he himself was an anomaly.

Animals with quirks were rare and if the classified files kept by the government are to believed, the source of various internet rumors, the reason they were rare was because of the "Caped Baldy". The white caped man was the natural predator for life forms that deviated from the human standard. That was why he could never fathom why Gran Torino's old friend had sported one herself.

Nedzu tried to think logically back then, but the scar across one of his eyes made him remember. He had remembered what humankind was capable of. Humans can have great compassion for their own kind, but to those different from themselves, they could be cruel.

Regardless of what he has seen, Nedzu cannot forget those urban legends that always held a hint of truth. Nedzu could not trust the old bald man in the white cape, but seeing that man around the students, he knew for a fact that his distrust was misplaced.

Saitama was strong; none were stronger than him. Saitama was the absolute strongest, but despite that, he was "ordinary". Seeing that man clip coupons during breaks and invite other teachers for grocery shopping so he could snag some extra items that were "limited 1 per family" was a sobering experience. Despite the rumors, despite the rumors of his absolute power being absolutely true, Saitama was "ordinary". He was the farthest thing away from being a monster.

In those dark times, the ones who were persecuted were the ones who looked "different", the ones with "inhuman" mutation quirks who couldn't pass as "quirkless" like the many hidden emission type quirk users that must have existed back then. The ones who were undoubtedly different were undoubtedly persecuted, thus were always the first ones to lash out violently and meeting their demise violently at the hands of early heroes.

Heroes like Saitama.

It was clear that the old man had no ill will against those that looked different. From his position up high as the absolute strongest, everyone must have looked the same to him down below. No matter the size, color or appearance, to the man who stood at the highest point, what was the difference? Everyone down below was the same, yet even as non-existent dots, the man held those invisible dots in high regard.

Saitama wasn't really famous, only liked by a select few. Many people scoff at his accomplishments, thinking of them as rumors blown out of proportion. For many others, the bald head and white cape became a "symbol of genocide" used by bigots. It was only natural that such "bigots" be harassed on the streets. From his deductive reasoning skills, that must have been the reason why Saitama had met the young Midoriya in the first place.

"Yes, I misjudged you, no I misjudged everything…"

Nedzu was always good at logic, but human emotions were things he had difficulty understanding, including the ones he harbored himself. Logically speaking, the League of Villains was an insignificant enemy. Shigaraki, the man child would throw away perfectly good resources at the problem for no return. That was what happened at USJ. That was how the Noumu was caught.

Then again, villains were always experts at manipulating perceptions. It was something the Age of All Might dulled his senses to. Under All Might, all the smartest villains were forced into hiding. Only fools would prance about in the open and their crimes were always petty like purse snatching.

Regardless of what bad impressions one might have about Shigaraki, it was obvious that someone was backing him and that someone was also teaching him. Someone that was a master of manipulation and in this world of quirks, logic can be easily overturned. In a world where quirks exist, anything is possible and traditional technologies like DNA testing are not 100% reliable. Quirks broke the laws of physics such as the conservation of mass and energy, instead obeying their own little rules. Anything can be faked and anyone can be made to look suspicious. Beyond the board, their existed unaccounted variables that weren't represented by pieces.

"I was arrogant, thinking I had all the facts, putting my faith in facts over people and I have underestimated our enemy."

There were enemies that could not be beaten through force alone if the history of warfare is something to learn from. War was nothing more than a tool of negotiation between two sides. Even in the absence of hatred, wars will break out simply because there is something someone wants. Territory, resources or pushing ideologies are always the end game objectives for any conflict. Either the objective is met, or the cost becomes too great to justify.

You can have all the advantages and you can win every battle, but still lose the war against an enemy that continues to persist. The underdog enemies that harbor a different set of logic than you and are willing to foot the bill in human lives you didn't think fathomable. Those were the lessons learned in the 20-21st century. That was how a backwaters country with huts could force the one with helicopters to leave.

"So don't think of this as a late Birthday present, but Happy Birthday nonetheless."

Nedzu from a bejeweled case reveals a card and with both hands gives it to the young Midoriya. Izuku stares in his hand and realizes what it is.

"P-provisional Hero License?"

It was only July and the licensing exam was supposed to be held in August.

"I'm making an exception. It would be negligent of me not to put one of our strongest assets to use."

Izuku wasn't sure what to say.

"I c-can't pos….," yet Izuku stops himself mid-sentence.

It was unfair for his classmates, but it would be rude to refuse it. It was incredibly rare for someone to put their faith in him. Until meeting Saitama, no one put faith in him in fact.

"Remember, it's not a present." Aizawa interjects.

"In fact, you'll be helping out another Birthday boy figuring out his present," is what Nedzu admits with a sly smile.

"Another Birthday boy?"

Nedzu takes note of the boy's face. There was no secret conspiracy despite the "evidence". His gut feeling was that the evidence was fabricated. The aspiring hero trainee's sincerity and altruism was genuine. For the few times in his life, Nedzu would follow his feelings and not facts.

"This is a heavy burden."

Izuku does not hesitate. Izuku accepts his duty.

"Y-you can count on me."

Inko isn't sure what to think with the current events happening. The "quirkless" son she had was someone who helped whoever was in his sight because he could not stand the sight of people suffering. Having his dreams crushed at an early age, he knew agony. He could not tolerate others in agony, so he would always come to reassure the people he could see, but ever since he gained that power, he was compelled to actively seek trouble. To help the people he could not see. That was the responsibility that came with being strong. In that way, her son was changing and becoming distant. He would smile less and less. She could see the miserable face he would make when he gets home after some unofficial patrol. She regrets never putting faith in her son's dream, so it was arrogant to ask for more, but as a mother she asks anyways.

"Can you promise me one thing?"

His mother's question comes out of the blue. He answers her gaze with his own.

"What is it?"

She takes her two index fingers and presses them against his cheeks.

"Don't forget to smile or your mother's spirit can't take it."

The words were nostalgic. Nedzu recalls All Might's saying something like that. It was something All Might's rumored master must have said to him.

"When you have to save someone, they're usually in a scary situation. **A true hero saves not only their lives, but also their spirits. So show them a smile that befits your strength because you are strong. Can you do that?** "

Izuku slowly turns his head and a wide smile blooms as he accepts his responsibility. For that responsibility was something he wished for ever since he was small. On the card he was handed was the hero name "Deku" and from now on, he'll carry that name with pride.

 **"I can do it!"**


	20. Chapter 20: Common Sense

Chapter 20: Common Sense

Shoto had always hated his father, but of late, that hate was dissipating and it was all thanks to a certain individual. He no longer hated his father, because he had no more hatred left to spare.

 _「*You've killed me two times so far, some hero you are.*_ _」_

Sometimes he would hear these words in his sleep. He knows for certain that three, four, five, six, or any number of times would not satisfy him. In this entire world, there was no one he hated more.

 _「_ _* Yah know like **Esdeath**. She would have gotten along with your father just fine!*_ _」_

He didn't understand what those words meant and he wishes he never looked it up. Despite his father's shortcomings, behind his cruelty was a goal anyone could understand. He hated his father who refused to own up to the damage he was inflicting on his own family, yet that family irreparably destroyed by some outsider who thought of life as a badly written comic book.

 _"Making it sound like you were doing us a favor…..…."_

He was raised in a world where heroes and villains run about as an entirely ordinary thing, but even so, villains were far removed from his daily life despite having a "hero" as a father. In those days, the only evil he had known first hand was in the form of his father.

His father ran towards his goal, ignoring everything else and was completely callous to the people he ran over to get there. His father did not think at all of the feelings of others, only obsessed with his own. Yet, now Shoto knew first hand that there were indeed "people" that simply ran over others for even less. Ordinary people just living their lives could be destroyed for something that could not even be called a reason. People could throw each other away without a thought and Shoto realized that he harbored the same sin.

" _Don't worry, we're all in this together," were words directed to Monoma that day, the day before he disappeared._

Monoma was gone. Maybe Shoto could have done something, yet he had done nothing that day. On that day, he ran towards his goal, ignoring everything else and someone paid the price. In his dreams he could hear the laughter. They had accused him of being a hypocrite and yet, thinking back on that day and had proven them right.

 _"The angrier I get…..the happier they became…"_

Those were the words that rush to the surface of his lips as he wakes. He checks the time and the date on his phone. It was the day of the provisional license exam. To become a hero, he had to cast away such feelings. That was the reason why he had held his ground at summer camp against those monsters instead of seeking out the perpetrators. He could not plunge others into misery just to satiate his own anger.

 _"I need to prove why I'm better."_

* * *

"Hah? What's this, what's this? Where's the number 1 and 2?"

That was the question posed to the class of 1A of UA as they entered the examination grounds.

Aizawa watches the exam go on by the bleachers and only had a single thought on his mind.

 _"It's a good thing he isn't here."_

Every member of the UA staff remembers the entrance exam involving a certain green haired kid, especially the one responsible for accounting. Due to the sheer number of training robots destroyed by a single individual, they had to hold another exam just to properly judge the other students. The bureaucrats from the government which held a tight leash on school budgets wasn't too happy about that particular incident, despite the kid's promise. UA, touted to have an unlimited budget, was taught the true meaning of "unlimited" by that boy's fist. That was the main reasoning behind Midoriya's newly granted Provisional Hero License.

 _"He would be the only one to pass…..well….it seems I'm not the only one who wants to sit through this twice…"_

Mera of the Hero Public Safety Commission was barely conscious after being overworked and anyone could tell that he would have rather been anywhere else at this moment. Aizawa wonders if the man had pulled any strings.

It was only the first stage of the exam and the UA students are already surrounded by the others, singled out for elimination in a modern game of dodge ball. 3 tags adorn the costumes of each student in various places. In every hand is a small ball and every student has their eye on the tags of their enemy.

"Nostalgic isn't it? Say, they don't seem surprised. You didn't tell them anything did you? Wait, isn't that.."

Ms Joke tells it at it is as she hands Aizawa a drink. She eyes the robotic limb and was about to say something before being interrupted.

"Unnecessary."

* * *

"Of course," is what escapes from Todoroki's lips.

 _*sigh*_

"Feels like some bad horror movie," Denki says with a grin.

"If something will go wrong, it will go wrong," Jirou adds with a look of annoyance.

"Brace yourselves," Momo says with her arm outstretched. Things were serious, because not even Mineta quipped about some exposed armpit.

An all out assault by a numerically superior enemy, but it was a laughable thing compared to what had happened on that day at summer camp. That day when their lives were on the line and had to ignore their rumbling bellies. Compared to that day, they were prepared.

As the balls sail through the air to meet their mark, a barricade of ice erupts from the ground and intercepts them.

"What?"

"We all had breakfast," Uraraka says with zeal as she places her hands on the barricade of ice.

The barrier of ice, only strong enough to withstand baseballs was the only thing separating the students of UA from their prey. As the cage of ice is liberated from gravity, the predators were liberated from their captivity. Before anyone could blink, Iida quickly slides under it leaving scorch marks in his wake as he races up the perch in which their enemy occupied.

 **"Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of WAR!"**

All eyes were focused on him at this one moment. Steeling their resolve, the enemy holds their ground.

"Focus fire!"

Despite the coordination of the enemy, they were no match for UA.

Iida was not alone as chunks of ice were thrown to intercept enemy shots. Some propelled with whip like motions with tape, others where just thrown by a boy on a sugar high.

"Shoot…"

A realization dawns on the enemy. They were momentarily too focused on the speedster and didn't notice that the rest of the UA students had mobilized in the span of a few seconds.

Shindo did not stray his eyes from the cluster of UA students and he tries to split them up by splitting the Earth, but his vibrations were negated by vibrations of the same frequency. The homeroom teachers were watching the entire fraction of a second exchange.

"Your batch this year is quite something aren't they?"

"You're not showing concern for your own are you?"

Aizawa looks onto Jirou as she retracts her jacks from the ground as she sighs in relief. After experiencing "summer camp", she knew the terror of being alone; well they all did especially Kirishima. For that reason, everyone was making a mental note of the location of everyone else. Nothing is scarier than the unknown.

In the hands of a certain squad was a contraption whipped up quickly by Momo. The assault force loads up the hopper with the exam designated projectiles and with a pull of a trigger, the opposition is doused.

 _"This isn't very manly, but…"_

Kirishima had held off well when he was held captive beneath the earth. Even so he endured that experience; it wasn't something he wanted to endure again. For all his want of being a proper man among men, it did not change the fact he felt fear. When Mina was in trouble on that day when they were simply middle schoolers, he looked the other way. He wanted to change things once he had entered UA. He had dyed his hair and adopted a more outgoing personality, but part of it was nothing more than a lie. As his thoughts drift to the 2 students that weren't here, he understands that he isn't alone in that. Even those who occupy the top ranks feel it and it simply fuels their drive.

Feelings of inferiority, imposter syndrome are simply part of the human condition. For better or worse, it is for that reason that heroes covet the title of number one. Something that can serve as undisputable evidence of one's worth. Regrettably, Kirsihima wasn't as ambitious, but he knew he had to move forward with whatever he had.

His hardening quirk wasn't very useful in a game of dodge ball. A ball simply had to hit him at the right spot. His durability did not matter, which was why Momo had given him a weapon. He hoses down the opposition.

Though all the other schools had designated UA as prey, they were nothing more than a loose mob. It wasn't the first time that an enemy of overwhelming number sought out to eradicate them. For those UA students who had survived against the "True People of the Earth" who were out for their blood, the will of their new enemy was lacking.

"What's wrong with these people?"

As they turn their heads, they see the speedster with a piece of tape strapped onto his back. Sero was grinning.

"The cavalry is here!"

Trailing behind Iida was Sero riding on Mina's shoulders, with the slippery acidic substance she produced from her feet being used as makeshift skis. Sero jumps off and plants his feet firmly into the ground giving Iida the signal to circle around.

Like a drafting compass, a circle is drawn into the dirt and anyone caught up in that circle fell victim to the tape. The victims are gathered up and Mineta comes forward breaking into a smile with Sato trailing closely behind. Instead of tagging the contestants out, UA crafts the fallen into a huge adhesive ball of bodies.

"Wait, isn't this…have you no common sense!"

Uraraka touches the ball with one hand and gives Iida a thumbs up and Iida takes this as the signal to run wild.

"King of All Cosmos!"

The clump rolls about as Iida pulls it along, getting bigger and bigger with each victim it touches, building momentum, just before the tape is cut. Once that line is cut, Shoto quickly hops onto the clump and makes a temporary spot and becomes a temporary jet engine with the use of his flames. He steers the ball around guided by Koda's pigeons. He could not see in front of him, but he could still momentarily glimpse the sky. The victims of the clump are many. A flaming sticky ball of bodies covered in steam that keeps on getting faster and faster. Even though the clump started out small, it grew larger with every new addition, while gaining momentum.

"What is this?!," was all the victims of the ever expanding clump of bodies could say. Their allies were running away from the pigeons that directed the instrument of failure.

Individually, class 1-A was still lacking, but unlike many others their age, they had acknowledged their own weakness. Growing up, each of them was exceptional, but at UA, being exceptional was the norm. At UA, they had met a boy who was simply a statistical anomaly. Midoriya was the absolute strongest. It was a fact that could not be refuted. Midoriya's very existence had shaken their perceptions to the core, but even so, Bakugo challenged that being that defied common sense. The rest of class 1-A was left in the dust behind those 2, but it was for that reason, they had to keep running. Midoriya had already gotten his license before them! Running without stopping, that was the body's natural inclination. Even if the mind has accepted defeat, the body continues to move on its own.

Iida had always been a stickler for the rules, rules built on common sense, but if he had learned anything from his time at UA was simply this.

 **"Common sense? True heroes don't have such a thing!"**

Common sense was something the ordinary possessed, but heroes are heroes because they refused to be ordinary.

* * *

The blow was struck without any semblance of finesse, yet it was a blow heavier than he had ever felt before. His body was out of phase as that fist passed harmlessly through his chest.

 _"His resolve?"_

The fake buildings behind him were blown away. Mirio sizes up the 1st year in front of him garbed in green. There were many wasted movements in his opponent's attacks.

 _"Clearly a junior, but…."_

Despite Deku's amateurish movements, he did not lack strength or foresight. Mirio prepares a counter attack, but his opponent was prepared, slamming his foot into the ground, creating a dust storm and obscuring his vision.

*cough*cough*

 _"….I see…"_

While phased out, light could not reach his eyes and air could not pass into his lungs. It was the fundamental weakness of "permeation". By targeting the chest, the green boy had forced him to ditch the air in his lungs. Follow that up with a dust storm and it would certainly make it hard for him to breathe. The most logical option for the 3rd year was to retreat into the ground and gain some breathing room.

 _"Into the ground, then…."_

Deku wasn't sure what to think when Nedzu mentioned another "birthday" boy. Right now, he was sparring with one of the big three, the one touted to being the closest to being the next number one. The senior's punches were heavy, but they weren't his quirk, considering how he keeps disappearing and reappearing from the ground and from the walls. For that reason, Deku kept launching attacks at the 3rd year with the true intent of demolishing all the surrounding buildings to limit the surfaces in which he could interact with. Unknowingly, Deku had sealed away Mirio's signature move, "Phantom Menace" with that decision. Now that only the ground was left, Deku simply had to stomp it when the older boy disappears from his view.

*thump*thump*thump*

The once even ground is fractured in all sorts of weird jagged shapes from the tremors.

 _"For every force is an equal and opposite reaction, which is why he can build momentum with his quirk by taking advantage of Van der Waals forces. If I make the ground uneven then…"_

Mirio ejects from the ground and soars into the air uncontrollably. To use his "permeation" quirk for effective movement, knowledge of the terrain is a must. Due to the nature of permeation, there was always a gap of information he could take in as his quirk effectively cuts off his senses from the outside world while in use. On flat ground, the quick calculations he needed to perform in his head were quite simple, but he couldn't expect that his opponent could so quickly change the "flat ground" so easily. He could not rely on memorization, and the randomness of the terrain made things harder to predict.

 _"I should use that…."_

He readies his fingers behind him and uses the air blasts generated with 100% of All Might's quirk to steer himself back on course.

 _"I have more experience, but he's purposely fighting in a way to seal that advantage off…heh…."_

Ever since interning with Nighteye, there were very few who could keep up with him. Now that he had been recently gifted "One For All", the gap was even wider. A small part of him misses the feeling he felt just a few years ago. Those years ago, when doing the simplest of things was a challenge. When every small victory felt hard earned. People in his childhood were right to scoff at his dream and dismiss him as clumsy. In these last few years, his efforts bore fruit and he was able to overturn what was factually "right". In those early years, triumph meant something, but in his final year at UA, triumph became routine. It became expected. Right now, Mirio was smiling in the face of uncertainty.

 _"I forgot what it felt like….."_

What it means to live. What it means to fight. What it means to struggle. In this one spar, he remembered it all. Soaring above the dust and debris, the 3rd year prepares his fist.

 **"New Hampshire Smash!"**

The sky shakes and the 3rd year comes crashing down like a rod from god, with his foot forming an intimidating spear point, but the boy down below prepares his fist. His right arm cocks back like the hammer of a gun.

 **"TEXAS SMASH~SERIOUS SERIES!"**

The boy's fist cuts through space, creating cavitations bubbles in the air. The implosions for but a moment reach temperatures hotter than the sun. The momentary flash of light blinds even the spectators. The shockwave generated cuts through the sky. As Mirio meets the shockwave, he quickly phases out to avoid being blown away into space, only to phase back in just as his foot meets Deku's face, or what was supposed to be his face. In place of a face was a hand.

"Foot shake?….," is what escapes Deku's lips. He had caught the attack with his left hand. His glove was burned through, but his skin was unscathed. He didn't know if he could catch such an attack, but he did so anyway. His body had moved on its own.

"….," was all the 3rd year could respond with, before breaking into a smile.

"You were holding back…."

The spar had to be called off. To repair the damage done in this one spar would take Cementoss the rest of summer. If it was any other time in the year, such a thing would be unacceptable. The students would complain about the lack of training facilities.

"The principal planned this didn't he?"

* * *

Masters sometimes are not the most effective at teaching. A large gap in power and experience makes it harder for useful knowledge to be passed down. Many teachers forget what it's like to be a student. It is for that reason people say how C students make better teachers than A students. It is for that reason why people like All Might or Saitama may not make the best of teachers. For those who stand at the very top, have little idea how to teach those on the bottom. It is for that reason that having more than 1 student is ideal, because they could learn from each other if they fail to learn anything from their assigned teacher.

"How…..?"

That was the reasoning Nedzu had given Sir Nighteye about letting a recent first year spar with Mirio who had trouble figuring out "One For All", but something about the first year unnerved him. He didn't know what it was until that final clash happened. He tried to read the future, in a vain attempt to steer it with the seconds he had left as he ran towards to two.

 _"I can't read his future…"_

Sir Nighteye had always believed that the foresight his quirk granted to him was absolute. The concept of "uncertainty" was something that was supposed to be alien to him, yet that boy had made him face it. He didn't want to believe. He didn't want to believe such people could exist, but the truth was undeniable.

 **"New Hampshire Smash!"**

 **"TEXAS SMASH~SERIOUS SERIES!"**

The sky shook unnaturally.

Common sense says that someone should have died in such a clash. In that span of time, Sir Nighteye's suit had become unkempt as he held his breath at the outcome.

 _"….please…."_

When the dust cleared, everything was all right. The boy simply caught the attack. The outcome clearly surprised the boy, yet at the same time, he acted like it was expected, laughing at the whole nerve wracking ordeal off.

When Sir Nighteye first met the boy, he didn't think much of him. A skittish looking fellow with no sense of humor, who's only saving grace was his taste in heroes. Despite a weak first impression, that unnerving feeling that took him out of his comfort zone, Sir Nighteye was reminded of what he saw in All Might.

"A madman…..no…a hero….."

A hero was someone that ignores their limits, who push themselves to greater heights, who leave common sense behind and forge their own fate.

It was an unnerving madness Sir Nighteye had always both feared and admired, but could never bring himself to emulate. As he feels for his face, to reassure him that what he just witness was actually reality. His glasses had become crooked and he slowly readjusts them as he finds himself smiling.

"So much for foresight….It would appear that I'm the one that must change…"


	21. Chapter 21: Own Little World

Ch21: Everyone Lives In their Own Little World

Shoto takes the surroundings in, the crumbled buildings, the injured and the "villains" all into his sight. No longer would be blinded by a single thing. To overcome his personal problems, he had to ignore them. To become the person he sought to be, he had to take it all in and that was exactly what the examiners were looking for. Ice clears the rubble away, and fire melts the excess, providing the "victims" a passage of escape.

"Just follow the tunnel and everything will be fine."

On the streets, Todoroki had felt it; the stares from strangers, judging and gauging him, wondering if he would crack like his mother. Like his father. His mother was locked away, asleep in some undisclosed hospital. His father was still going through court hearings. The sight of that man in a wheelchair, propelling himself without a care to the judging gazes.

 _"Outside factors don't matter…"_

He had wished as a child for someone to save his family from his father, but no one did. That was why he brought it on himself to become such a hero, yet by focusing on his own personal matters, he ignored everyone else. He knew what it was like to feel such despair, yet it was undeniable that many had it worse. He couldn't see his father as a good man, but at the very least, his father was a man and not a monster. Out there, there exist true monsters and people in need of saving, with no one to save them.

 _"It seems I forgot. That's the person I wanted to be."_

The mind clears. He's completely focused on the task at hand. In front of him was a girl with a sprain and he gently creates a cast with ice.

"Is that better?"

His mind is like a block of ice, but even ice can have impurities. The girl gives no reply, except for a smile with a mischievous tint.

 _"That momma's boy…he's changed, some what?"_

That was the conclusion Toga arrived at while posing as a member of HUC (Help Us Company). She had avoided other rescuers by hiding her presence. In the midst of chaos, it was easy for their senses to turn away from her presence. Clearing her mind, holding her breath, she could disappear by becoming "nothing". It was a skill Toga picked up when indulging in her "hobby". As long as one wasn't wearing anything too out of place, one would be indistinguishable from the background, yet the scarred pretty boy was unusually attentive, but Toga paid no mind to that.

 _"No sign of Deku anywhere….anywhere….no Deku in sight….or is he hiding?."_

Hiding, waiting, Toga was waiting for Deku, but Deku wasn't here. Instead, she was found by a familiar scarred face, but that face was calmer. The momma's boy had learned to be attentive, but not quite attentive enough.

"….minus points…."

Even if Endeavor's masterpiece managed to take his eyes off his hated father, he was still not familiar with taking everything into his eyes. Despite moving forward, an amateur is an amateur.

 _"Hmmm…? Meat shield?"_

In the distance watching was the unsuspecting student Shigaraki had used for cover during summer camp. The boy's name was Inasa, but Toga didn't care to remember it. The boy quickly turns away and seeks out others to be rescued. There were many things as of late, much more important than his petty dislike of Endeavor and his son.

Inasa had always liked passionate heroes and it was a revelation for him that the one who burned the brightest wasn't passionate at all. Cold eyes that refused to look at him as a child who simply sought an autograph, yet when Inasa had visited that man in the hospital, there was only a pitiful figure. In that incident at Wookies with that man's wife, he had lost his own mother. He had also lost a classmate. Yet, nothing hurt more than knowing that he was used as camouflage by the very monsters that had set up that fateful day at Wookies, if the police officers were being straight with him. If only he could get his hands on one of those monsters from LoV, but things won't be so convenient for him. As he looks onto the spawn of that hated hero, with thawed eyes, he felt loss.

 _"Dammit…."_

Though he admired passionate heroes, he found himself less passionate than Shoto who was only focused on the rescue victims at hand. The air tenses and the boy with the anguished face, like a gust of wind disperses from Toga's sight.

 _"Well, that's boring….."_

No Deku in sight or even some light entertainment for her troubles.

* * *

Nemoto never expected much from the League of Villains, but one of those things he expected was some level of respect. The young master was watching.

"Where is that Himiko girl?"

The one he was asking was an equally troublesome person across from a table. The lights were dim, and the room was isolated. This was supposed to be a serious interrogation.

"A high school girl has her exams don't ya know?"

It was clear the shape shifter didn't go to school, but Nemoto would play along.

"It's August."

It was only a matter of time before someone confesses under the influence of his quirk.

Twice sighs, and swings his head in annoyance.

"She wanted to see what's his face at that hero exam thingy."

"What's his face?"

"Freckles, green hair, probably related to you know who."

"One of you is related to a hero trainee?"

"Dunno, one of our guys has blue eyes and shoots fire and we don't judge. Brave man, considering what happened to that fine piece of...you look at her and think, ice, ice, baby, have to think it twice and she already comes with ice! Can't even tell she squeezed out 4 kids. Heroes are so lucky.."

*Smack*, was the audible crack made by the back of a hand against Twice's cheek.

Nemoto never thought he would have needed to resort to physical interrogation considering the nature of his quirk, but these buffoons are the exception to the rule.

*cough*cough*

Twice tries to straighten up and look serious, coughing into his fist, but that's the thing, finding people that took him seriously was something he always struggled with.

"So, Dabi comes and goes. Does his own thing. We're all searching for our own thing, ya know."

His hands grasp his heart and Nemoto is not amused. The young master was losing faith in him!

"You don't seem to know a lot about your coworkers."

"Hey, its company policy, I'm just happy I have people to hang out with…..I tried hanging out by myself, but it didn't work out….. Pretty sure we actually had an actual UA student with us before but snitches get put in ditches, though I can't really be sure if he was actually put it one."

Such a tactic wasn't all too different from the one Overhaul himself employed. Those with nowhere else to go are very obedient. He himself didn't really think too hard on the background of some of his men. It was easy to tell who was a somebody and who was a nobody.

The fact that there was no substitute copy of that girl here for attendance put doubt on the legitimacy of the masked man capable of duplication.

"Are you a copy?"

Tears swell up and bleed through the mask. A whimper becomes an angry shout.

"Not a day goes by without me wondering…..thank you for bringing it up! I was having a good day until now!"

Overhaul rolls his eyes and Nemoto gets a bit angry. These were the typical responses from these so called villains despite being under the influence of his "confession" quirk. Every time they interrogate one of them, Nemoto loses face in front of the young master. He hates these youngsters. Still, with the shape shifter at that exam that meant that she hadn't stolen the identities of one of the henchmen. The utility of her disguising ability couldn't be denied, but with the "core" to their plans so close, she was quite the liability, so it was always important to keep track of her location. With such unstable personalities, there was no telling what could happen. It was clear that the Shigaraki brat held no leashes, but that was something Overhaul wasn't displeased with. That so called leader of the League of Villains was a brat who couldn't hold anything, but there was nothing more to be expected from a pawn of the King of Night. As such, his pieces were free for him to use.

*sigh*

"Bring in the next one."

As Twice leaves, he puts his hand on Nemoto's shoulder, whispering into his ear very audibly.

 _"Say, can't I have a gun like you, or two, it seems you guys have no trouble getting those ….oh…maybe a sword too …. …. …"_

Nemoto wonders about his life choices and wonders where it all went wrong.

* * *

Right now, All Might was watching, watching the future of heroism from the distance as they hone their edges with every clash. As he eyes his former sidekick, it was clear he was satisfied, but at the back of All Might's head was always a nagging sensation. The end of his journey was near.

Relief or despair?

The future was in capable hands and yet the Symbol of Peace is left wanting. He knew it was wrong, but a part of him wanted to carry out what he had been doing forever. To save people for all eternity as the Symbol of Peace, but he knew that such selfish thinking was in line with the one he hated most.

All For One, the ageless and merciless, the shadow that lurked and continues to lurk in every facet of this country. That man was still alive despite the massive head injury All Might gave him those years ago, yet it should have been expected.

 _"I'm still alive."_

He can still feel the scar on his abdomen. Without the luxury of a stomach, he had become the toothpick of a man that he is today who continues to puff out his chest to alleviate the public's worries. As the years ticked on, he was forced to take less and less responsibility to keep up the public image that society leaned against for support.

 _"All For One."_

That final battle was a hazy memory, but there were things he couldn't help but remember.

* * *

 _The stench of blood and the sight of his own guts strewn across the floor, it seemed that he had screwed up. The face of his enemy standing above him wasn't clear._

*Really now, Shimura was quite delusional? Giving such responsibility to someone quirk-less. Her death was a curse for you wasn't it? When she died, you had no choice but walk on this bloody path and meet me.*

 _The smiling madman in front of him was quite the character to be giving a speech at this critical moment, yet he himself was madder for wanting to respond. The taste of iron was an unpleasant one._

 _*cough*cough*_

*This didn't have to happen this way you know? If only you had stopped, but you continued to move forward. You had to go beyond, smashing my comrades into the pavement and for what? You're only here because you wanted to feel big. You were nothing, a zero and you wanted to be something, a hero. But alas, without power, goals are but mere dreams and you're about to wake up from one, so in a roundabout way, maybe you should consider thanking me with your final breath.*

 _The hero was bleeding, but a single memory keeps him awake._

 _"If you find yourself against a wall, remember your origin and that will take you beyond your so called limits."_

"I don't know about my final breath…"

 _The dying man can only smile as he grits his teeth, charging forward and beyond towards his nemesis with fists clenched._

"But how's my second wind?"

 _Heroes are the most dangerous on their last legs._

* * *

*SMASH*

The fists clash in sync, each only containing enough power to cancel out the other. A vivid display of green and yellow blurs across the barren landscape of training ground beta. It seemed like their control was improving, improving independent of his influence.

"I see…."

The thing that bothered Toshinori the most, it seemed, was the fact the future was growing without him independently. His master had guided him, personally hammering ideals into his head, yet he did not get the chance to do the same.

"They don't need me to teach them anything…"

His former sidekick disagrees. The Symbol of Peace wasn't such a meaningless thing.

"You're wrong. Those two, us, all of us here are here because of you. As the Symbol of Peace, you have taught us how to live."

Nighteye was sincere with his words. The Symbol of Peace was an example many fledgling heroes aspired to become. Through inspiration, the next generation was taught how to live.

"Even so, it wasn't I who taught them how to fight, how to move forward and taught them how to become strong."

The Symbol of Peace was but a goal. Without strength, a goal is but a dream.

"Teachers like you, like Saitama…..a pillar is not without foundations. As a teacher at UA, I'm still lacking."

It was through a collective effort that the Symbol of Peace held any meaning.

"Who is this Saitama?" was Nighteye's honest question.

All Might recalls that white cape that the old man wore. It couldn't have just been a coincidence. That was his gut feeling.

"My master's inspiration."

* * *

Overhaul examines the piece of flesh in his hands and confirms once again the presence of the extra toe joint.

"Quite pitiful indeed, even with a body free of disease, your mind is sick…."

Completely disregarding the missing foot, the mental patient acts like her leg didn't just explode in front of her. Though it does speak volumes about how deranged the thing in front of him was. If only Eri was nonchalant of such things.

「*It's not nice to say those things even if they're true.*」

Overhaul fixes the thing he casually broke with care. Individuals without quirks, the uninfected, especially of the younger generation were exceedingly rare specimens.

"Though a specimen that perfectly sums up everything wrong with this world."

Those born right, the healthy and disease free minority saw themselves as wrong in the world they lived in. The majority that was born wrong refused to see the wrongness in themselves. That was why it was so important to drill into Eri's head that she was born wrong, for Eri had potential to become the vaccine. It was risky, but slowly, he needed to expose Eri to the outside world's wrongness. If Eri learned of that wrongness, then it was only logical that she become as cooperative as someone like Nemoto.

Nemoto continues the questioning.

"It has come to our knowledge that you resemble a certain UA student. Took 2nd place at the recent sports festival. Explain."

Tears well up, drops the size of chicken gizzard flow.

「*It's always about Deku isn't it? Like a main character? Even the final boss stresses over him. *」

For Deku was a threat even greater than All Might.

「*So many quirks, but he couldn't spare one….or even spare to look at me…*」

Relationships are all give and take, but All For One who lacked eyes could not look at anyone.

 _/*Fine wines take time. Why do you think I took in Tenko? Now, this black mask and this breathing apparatus, is it subtle enough?*/_

All For One always berated her for having no patience or subtlety, but clearly someone with an age halting quirk could think like that, so the warning was ignored!

「*Even though he brought me into this world in the first place.*」

From a certain point of view.

"You lot...you're all quite the special snowflakes aren't you?..."

「*Do you want to hear about that one time, what we did to this one snowflake?*」

Nemoto has officially given up. It seemed that his confession quirk seemed to be of no use whatsoever when it came to these "kids". Those under the influence of his quirk were forced to confess, but that assumed that the target was right in the head. He could not even get angry at them anymore. His master on the other hand seemed to have more patience.

Overhaul quickly picks up on what was audible and ignores the arm crossing, as well as the pouty pout. If Nemoto wasn't present with his confession quirk active, he would have dismissed whatever that was said as pure nonsense. In fact, what was said was probably nonsense. The deranged will confess to all sorts of things.

"I see. Does that mass of disease see himself akin to Cronus?…Well, you are far from the only one…..All For One….All Might…..I always believed there to be a connection between the kings...""

Even so, it was a common story in the underworld. Someone born without any deformity seeks out the most deformed of them all; the night king in hopes of becoming deformed themselves. Pawns like the one in front of him that judged themselves to have no value were easy to acquire with the right words, so it was best to play along. Whether the thing in front of him was a spy mattered not, for those without power, without quirks could not oppose those that did. Precisely because the girl in front of him was utterly powerless, that he can entrust an important task.

"Born blessed thinking yourself cursed; truly you are a lost lamb. Pitiful lamb that has been thrown away; I have a use for you …."

The tears become a minor sniffle, then a seething anger and an eerie giggle, and then a laugh rises to the surface.

「*Blessed? …Sorry…I never imagined anyone would try that on me. Trying to buy something like me with words like that, aren't you being ripped off? *」

A warning is confessed without fanfare, yet those that look down on others from a perch always had difficulty listening.

* * *

Staring at a package of half priced meat, Bakugo grits his teeth. With his arms bound to his crutches, he can only stare. He couldn't do anything.

"….."

The provisional exams have passed by and Bakugo had missed them along with the setting sun. Up until then, he was restrained to his hospital bed and it was only after exams did the doctor let him go free.

"…"

"Stop mumbling."

His mother had brought him grocery shopping as a way to give her son some fresh air. From the app on her Smartphone, there was a sale on meat this evening. Proteins were a crucial part in a speedy rehabilitation after all.

"….."

Eyeing every package, mother and son were carefully taking note of each cut. There were lean cuts and there were not so lean cuts. Depending on the person, depending on the life style, fat was not necessarily the enemy. This was especially true for spicy foods.

 _"Grain is fine, but this stuff has clearly been frozen for a while."_

The capsaicin in peppers, responsible for their heat, their punch was something that could easily overstay its welcome, making it hard to taste anything else. For that reason, fat was needed. For capsaicin was soluble in fat. Those people who try to wash down spicy foods with water were clearly doing something wrong. A proper spicy dish doesn't require such a thing.

"…"

Despite the necessity of fat, foods can become too rich. Not to lean, but not too fat. That's when Bakugo saw it. The perfect cut, but then it was gone.

"Hot pot always needs some meat," was a familiar, yet irritating voice.

Bald head, white cape, yellow jumpsuit, red gloves and a rather unkempt beard, were things that could only belong to one person on this planet. In that person's hands was what Bakugo had his eye on, but could not reach.

"….You did that on purpose didn't you?"

"Oh, your shopping too?"

"Don't play…."

*Smack* was the sound that was made when something struck the back of Bakugo's head.

"I'm on crutches you old hag!"

Mitsuki pushes against her son's head, forcing him to bow.

"You must be that teacher he's always talking about. Thank you always keeping my son in check."

Being thanked was quite the rare thing for Saitama. He scratches the back of his head, feeling the praise a bit undeserved.

"Don't mention it."

Maybe there was a correlation between wannabe heroes and good moms.

"Pfffffff.."

It was then, Bakugo noted another familiar, yet irritating voice.

 _"…round face…,"_ was what he uttered under his breath.

"Oh, you're here too," was what Saitama says without much surprise.

"Of course."

Uraraka pulls out her Smartphone with a smug look and on the screen is displayed a digital flyer. It was the same one on Saitama's phone, as well as the one on Mitsuki's. All 3 of them exchange the same smug look with Uraraka looking the smuggest.

She originally planned to flaunt her newly minted license in front of Bakugo's face, but plans changed.

It never occurred to her that Bakugo was the type of person who went shopping with his mom. She leans over Bakugo and whispers into his ear.

 _"Wait until I tell the others about this…"_

Uraraka was the smuggest person there, until Mitsuki leaned over and whispered something into her ear.

 _"If my son gave you any scars during the Sports Festival, be sure to know that I'll have him take responsibility."_

The atmosphere instantly got awkward and Uraraka could only meekly utter a single word as a reply.

"….right…."

Bakugo grits his teeth, unsure what to say. Sure, round face's smug face was wiped away, but it didn't feel good at all. Denki's smug punchable face comes into view. Many found Bakugo's personality, to be quite honest, garbage. It wouldn't be wrong to think for such a person to have a hard time getting a girlfriend, much less friends. It was unfortunate for Bakugo that his own mother thought so as well.

"….."

It was supposed to be a good day for Uraraka. She had just passed the provisional license exam and was about to have her night out of splurging or rather, what could count as splurging on her meager living expenses. All meat hot pot was what she had on her mind.

*grumble*

Living alone away from her parents, she had skipped meals before, but Saitama-sensei had converted her into a discount hunter. Even if she couldn't have meat every day, her stomach was always full. In order for a hero to be strong, they had to train like hell, but also eat well.

*grumble*

In the corner of an aisle, Mt. Lady was shopping too, comparing various flavors of cup noodles. Property damage was always something she had to account for every paycheck. That was the price to pay for a hero with a gigantification quirk working in the city. Sometimes the "pay" part of paycheck was nothing more than a misnomer, unless you count the part of her having to payback money. Lately now, those "payback" type paychecks were increasing in frequency without her breaking anything. When something breaks in the area, she is always the first one suspected, but she knew of her own innocence.

 _"It's all his fault…."_

She places all she could afford for dinner into her basket.

"When I find that white caped baldy I'll….."

It was then something white caught the corner of her eye as she turned the corner.

"You!"

Yet, it was only for an instant.

* * *

The checkout clerk was half asleep. Sale days were always the worst, but the sounds of coins clattering across the counter certainly were a wake-up call.

"Huh?"

There would be an earful from the manager that day about a missing package of meat. The loose change that was found on that day did not cover it.


End file.
